A Simple Change: The Sharingan Volume 1: Rebirth
by James D. Fawkes
Summary: Gifted with his unlocked bloodline, Naruto goes back in time to prevent his own death and to right the wrongs that have been committed. Enter into the story of Naruto, the Terror of Death NarutoHinata
1. And So It Shall Begin Again

**A Simple Change: The Sharingan**

**By: **James Fawkes

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. **

**Chapter One: And So It Shall Begin Again

* * *

**

A tall man stood with his head down, spiky gray hair flopping over his concealed left eye. His gaze fell onto boy at his feet, whose broken body lay bleeding on the shore of an infamous waterfall. The crimson liquid flowed steadily from the boy's chest, seeping into the grass and dirt.

The boy's torso still rose and fell, signaling to all that he wouldn't go without a fight, but the tall man knew his pupil wouldn't last much longer. How could he, when a great, big hole had replaced his right lung? No, the boy would die within the hour, and the tall man's last link to his past would disappear. The legacy, the son of the great Fourth Fire Shadow, who had been the tall man's teacher, was faced with a horrible fate which he could not escape. Death.

Kakashi felt something prickle at the edge of his eyes. It was a sensation that he had not felt for a while; a sensation he had hoped to never feel again.

Salty tears soon joined the rain streaming down Kakashi's masked face. Even his forehead protector could not conceal his weeping eyes, for a spot of wetness grew at its edge, beneath his Sharingan eye.

The tall man soon fell to his knees, crying for the first time in a long time. He collapsed in upon himself, thighs in his stomach, shins in the dirt. His face was buried in his arms, and Kakashi of the Sharingan looked truly pathetic for the first time in his life.

The thunder above his head hid his anguished cries, but Kakashi paid it no mind. He had lost one of the most precious people he had ever had. His last link to his old team, save his Sharingan, would soon be gone for good.

Kakashi suddenly reared up, face towards the weeping clouds. He took a deep breath, then showed the world how upset he was.

He screamed to the sky, releasing pent up angers and sorrows. His scream echoed across the forest, scaring animals from their hiding places.

But nobody heard it.

* * *

A hyperactive blonde lay on his back, his spiky hair dripping with water, and his orange jumpsuit in tatters around his chest. Blood coated his body, both his own, and another's. His sapphire blue eyes, previously hidden behind tan eyelids, were slowly beginning to open. The whisker marks on his cheeks stretched momentarily as his nose twitched.

In a sudden blur of motion, he sat straight up, his eyes wide open, "What? Where the Hell am I?"

Now conscious, he looked at his surroundings to find a large, sewer like hall with a wall of bars directly in front of him…or rather, a battered and frayed wall of bars that were half broken.

A rumble suddenly shook the room he was in, and a large piece of what appeared to be concrete dropped from the ceiling to splash into the water around him. "What the hell?"

A huge, hulking figure seemed to materialize out of the shadows behind the bars, a snarl on its vulpine muzzle. Its crimson fur glistened with the same water that soaked the blonde's hair, and even in the crumbling landscape, it seemed to possess an air of power and arrogance.

The blonde named Naruto pointed his finger at the giant fox, an angry look stretched across his face, "This is your fault! What are you doing?!"

"**_My_ fault?!"** the fox growled, baring its shiny fangs. **"I'll admit that _some_ of the blame belongs to me, but a fair portion of it falls on _your_ ass, too!**

"**If _you_ had actually tried your best against that spiky haired lunatic, we wouldn't even be in this mess! Now we're dying, and even if I send one or both of us back in time, we wouldn't be able to change anything important enough!"**

"What are you talking about now, stupid fox? What do you mean, 'sending us back in time'?"

"**Pipe down, brat, it doesn't matter! There's only two things that could have changed the outcome of that battle, and you can't use either of them…"** the demon fox suddenly gained a thoughtful look (which seemed quite weird on its animalistic face). **"Unless…Yes, that just might work."**

Naruto looked confused, "What are you mumbling about now?"

"**Quiet!"** it hissed. **"We don't have much time, so I'll have to give you the short explanation."**

Naruto sat down, ignoring the debris falling around him, "Go ahead."

"**Now, believe it or not, you have a bloodline,"** it began, but it scarcely got that much in before Naruto interrupted.

"What?" he asked, teetering on his heels. "A bloodline? Are you serious? Yes! Take that, Sasuke-teme!"

"**Shut up!"** Kyubi roared. **"Now don't interrupt me a second time! Okay, so you have a bloodline. But the unfortunate thing is, you'll never activate it…so long as I'm here. Your Fourth Hokage didn't realize that the seal he used would not only seal me, but your bloodline limit as well. Or that me and my chakra helping you in dire situations would interfere with its activation."**

"Which bloodline do I have?" Naruto couldn't help himself; he was dying to know.

The Kyubi leered at him, **"As much as I hate it, the accursed Sharingan is very powerful, and is indeed dormant within you. But, as I said, with me here, you'll never awaken it."**

Naruto's face fell.

"**However,"** the Kyubi paused for dramatic effect, **"There is a way to activate it, and _then_ send you back in time, thus allowing you to keep the activated Sharingan and activate and deactivate it at your will."**

"How? How?" Naruto asked, excited but also wary of his tenant.

"**It's quite simple,"** the Kyubi said. **"First, we have to shatter the seal. Then, a burst of my chakra directly to your eyes _immediately_ after the seal is gone will activate your Sharingan. And as soon as I'm free, I'll have a scant few seconds to send you back before I pass on permanently."**

Naruto gave it a funny look, "But how is that benefiting you? You're still dying, so I don't see what your motivation is."

"**Brat," **the Kyubi growled. **"Think of the big picture. Sending you back with your Sharingan should prevent me from needing to do this, so it's like this version of your life will have never happened, despite you having memories of it. In the end, if this is a success, I still live."**

"Oh," Naruto said. "So if I prevent Sasuke from killing us, then you won't die."

"**Exactly,"** Kyubi said. **"Now, on the count of three, you destroy the seal. Ready?"**

Naruto nodded, "I don't really trust you, but that's the better of my options."

"**Understandable. Now, we have little time. We must hurry. One."**

"Two!"

"**THREE!!" **"THREE!!"

* * *

Naruto awoke to the sound of a battle. Gingerly, he opened his eyes and, if he had been capable of it, would have let out a large gasp. He could see things in much better clarity than he ever thought possible. He could see the individual stitches in the white cloak of the man carrying him. He could see the delicate craftsmanship of the green jacket. If he turned his head to the side, he could easily see the trees pass him one by one instead of the blur they normally were. Surprised, he whispered a low "Wow!"

But all that escaped his mouth was an excited gurgle. The man carrying him heard, and turned his own sapphire orbs towards Naruto's face, spiky blonde hair trailing down his cheeks. His gaze shot towards Naruto's eyes, then a prideful smile twitched onto his mouth.

"Oh? Only a few hours old and you're already setting records, eh Naruto-kun? No one's ever activated the Sharingan at such a young age! Your mother would be proud."

The Fourth Hokage's tone dropped into a melancholy one, his face downtrodden, "If only she could be here to see it."

Naruto barely noticed the sorrowful side of the man carrying him before the smile returned, though it was forced, and his enthusiastic voice made an encore presentation, "Well, Naruto-kun, you're about to go from being my son, Kazama Naruto, to being the hero of the village."

Naruto felt his world shake and managed to catch of glimpse of orangish-red beneath his father's feet. It felt strange to him, calling the man he respected above all others "Father". But that's what the Fourth Hokage, Kazama Arashi, was. He was Naruto's father, and nothing could ever change that.

Naruto immediately recognized the orangish-red beneath his father's feet as Gamabunta, the boss toad. And he felt a bit of dread slide like ice down his throat and into his stomach. This was the night. The 'Hero' comment his father had made should have been a good enough clue, but the sounds of battle and the large summoned creature had finally solidified the date into his mind.

It was October the tenth, his birthday, and the day that the legendary demon, Kyubi no Youko, had been defeated.

And as they came upon the wretched beast, Naruto suddenly wished the ride could have lasted longer. It would have only prolonged the inevitable, but it would have made him feel a heck of a lot better. His fate was being decided, and there was nothing he could do about it.

As his father began a set of seals, Naruto began to cry, completely on infantile impulse. The Fourth Hokage gave his son a pained look, as though wishing he had another option, then returned to his duty, tears shining in his deep blue eyes.

"I'm sorry, son, but it has to be done. There's no other way. This is your story now!"

Then, for a second, as the Shinigami ripped the Kyubi's soul from its body and stuffed it into Naruto's, there was silence. There was a long pause in everything. Kyubi's corpse stood stalk still, the Yondaime, the Fourth Hokage, only watched his son in the last moments of his life. The ninja of Konoha held their breath.

Then it all came crashing back down as the Fourth's body collapsed and an overwhelming pain wracked Naruto's body. He could sense his Sharingan fade as the nerve endings in his stomach lit on fire, fueling the agonized cries bursting from his mouth.

Then, everything went black.

* * *

For the first five years after the Kyubi's attack on Konoha, many of the villagers called for Naruto's death. On multiple occasions, drunken civilians had attacked him, ranting about ridding the village of the demon once and for all. The Third Hokage, though he would never grant their wishes, could do nothing to protect the blonde haired demon vessel.

Konoha ninja that had witnessed the attacks had never interfered, simply because they had never had to. Every attack was foiled and turned out to be a complete failure. Naruto was still treated poorly, and still could only afford Ramen, but his injuries had been avoided simply by not being there. For the most part, his life was going as it had originally, with only a few major differences.

One, Naruto had the Sharingan, and would often watch other ninjas, including Hatake Kakashi and the Uchihas, as they practiced. With his Sharingan, he could copy some of the moves and Jutsu they used. His repertoire of ninjutsu had vastly increased compared to his previous life, and he had new moves and Jutsu that he could use in the more difficult parts of his life. Shunshin (Body Flicker) was a particular favorite of his; it made an excellent escape, even if it was very draining.

Second, he knew the future, so he could prevent the more horrible events from happening (ones that he had the power to change and influence, anyway). This would come especially in handy with such things as his graduation and the Chuunin Exams. He knew he couldn't do anything about the Uchiha massacre or Sasuke receiving the curse mark that Orochimaru called the "Heaven Seal" or the Third Hokage's death. But he could prevent Sasuke from running away and the death of the mist duo known as Haku and Zabuza.

Third, he knew about the Kyubi, so he had even more reasons to prank the villagers. Many of the more vocal death callers (in other words, the people who had appealed for his execution) were already on the receiving end of almost malicious pranks. And he foresaw many more humiliating pranks in Konoha's future. Not to mention the level of training it gave him. Outrunning Jounin was an amazing stealth exercise and a magnificent way to practice underhanded tactics.

On December twenty seventh, though, Naruto was suddenly reminded of an attempted kidnapping he had heard about (he couldn't remember who had originally told him; he thought it might have been Neji). Supposedly, one of the cloud ninja that had just arrived would try to kidnap Hinata. Hinata's dad, Hyuga Hiashi would catch them, and Cloud village would demand the clan head's body as retribution for their ninja's murder. The Hyuga clan would give over Hizashi, Hiashi's twin, instead, and the Bird-in-a-Cage Seal on Hizashi's head would keep the famous Byakugan in Konoha.

But as a result, Hinata's confidence in herself would be brutally shattered, and Neji would hate her and the main family for the incident that killed his father, believing it their fault.

Naruto, being the kind of person that he is, decided that he would attempt to stop the kidnapping, even if all he could do was boost Hinata's confidence.

So, that night, he grabbed a sleeping bag, a package of instant Ramen, a flashlight, and some firewood, and set up camp right outside the Hyuga Compound. And he waited. He set up the firewood, lit a fire, boiled some instant Ramen, ate it, then sat back down and waited.

Naruto was never particularly fond of the Hyuga clan, considering what he had seen of it. Sure, he liked Hinata well enough, but the rest of the Hyuga were on his "Black List". Neji was particularly high up on Naruto's list of people he disliked, mainly for how he had treated Hinata, who had become a good friend of Naruto's.

Now that he had sat down to think, Naruto found that he really liked Hinata. Sure, she was shy and quiet. She often stuttered and blushed a lot. She even fainted from time to time, especially when Naruto was around. But Hinata had done something that made Naruto proud of her, and that had made her one of Naruto's best friends. She had stood up against an opponent that was clearly stronger, and hadn't flinched, even when faced with death. To Naruto, that made her okay, and he happily welcomed her into his circle of friends.

Thinking about Hinata put a smile on his face, and Naruto suddenly regretted not getting to know her earlier in his previous life. He had definitely missed out on a great sparring partner and a good friend…and maybe even…(Naruto blushed) a girlfriend.

Finally, around two in the morning, he could hear someone dashing out of the Hyuga Compound. Setting his face with grim determination (he knew he wouldn't beat this guy), he activated his Sharingan and ran as fast as he could towards the noise.

What he found was a shinobi dressed all in black leaping across the roofs of Konoha. Quickly shoving chakra to his feet, he followed, pushing himself to catch up. His enemy was most certainly a fast one. It took a good while, at least five minutes, and he was nearing the walls of Konoha's defense. But with his dark clad enemy in his sights, he set his hands in a cross-shaped seal, and mimed one of his favorite Jutsu.

His doppelganger attacked the Shinobi with a hard punch to the skull, as if out of nowhere, forcing him to let go of the captive Hyuga princess. The real Naruto slid under the Cloud nin and caught the girl with minimal ease, standing her on her own two legs. With a large amount of haste, he undid her bindings and pushed her away, towards her home. "Go!"

"You shouldn't have done that," the shinobi growled, free of the clone, forcing Naruto to turn and dodge a punch to the skull. The ninja scoffed, as if insulted, "A five year old? That's all they send to stop me?"

He lashed out with a kick that hit Naruto in the stomach, forcing him backwards. A follow up blow with his elbow sent the blonde's chin upwards and the shinobi grinned with satisfaction. He was beating the snot out of the little brat.

Naruto jumped back slightly to avoid another much lazier kick. He took advantage of his opponent's lax guard and rushed forward, punching him. Or at least trying to. The Shinobi, whomever it was, batted it away as if it was nothing, retaliating with a harsh punch to Naruto's stomach.

Suddenly, the Naruto that the Cloud ninja was fighting puffed into smoke, and he very well dreaded the words that reached his ears from behind him. The pit of his stomach nearly dropped out.

"Konoha's Secret Taijutsu Technique: A Thousand Years of Pain!"

A quick, unexpected, and _very hard_ poke in the ass sent the foreign ninja flying. He landed on the ground about ten yards away, rubbing the offended body part. His ire was most definitely rising, and there was only one thing to take it out on.

The cloud ninja scurried to his feet, massaging his hurt ass and his wounded ego. He was distracted, and it was the perfect opportunity for Naruto to take advantage of.

"Katon," he whispered, flashing through hand seals. He stopped abruptly on tiger and put his index finger and thumb to his lips, as he had seen Sasuke do many a time, "Goukakyuu no Jutsu!"

Naruto's torso jerked forward and a large fireball burst forth, charging towards his enemy with amazing speed.

The cloud Nin seemed to understand the danger this technique presented and dodged out of the way, landing a few feet from the scorching flames. Naruto was suddenly in front of him, a grin plastered on his face.

The Kumo shinobi was too shocked to dodge the kick delivered to his chin and went soaring upwards. With another amazing burst of speed, Naruto was behind him. Using his enemy's body, Naruto flipped around in midair, sending a kick to the ninja's stomach. It was blocked easily.

"You're gonna have to do better than that, kid."

Naruto used the block to add speed and power to his twist, turning 180 degrees. His fist came crashing down into his opponent's face. With only a few feet between them and solid earth, Naruto brought his right heel down onto the ninja's stomach with a devastating kick, sending him straight to the ground. He rolled onto his stomach, groaning.

Naruto landed not too far away and tried to dive onto the man's back, but was too slow, and got a kick in the stomach in return. It was hard enough to send him soaring, until he collided with the wall of a random house, forcing a crater into the brick. He was extremely lucky that he had thrown up a wall of chakra in his back to prevent damaged bones, but it still hurt like hell, and he knew that he had lost. All he could do was wait for the end as his Sharingan faded.

He distinctly heard a cry of pain and a dull thud as something heavy hit the ground. Someone was panting, out of breath from a sudden spontaneous exertion. It was deep and low, so it had to be a man.

He looked up to see his opponent on the ground, dead, with a pissed looking Hyuga Hiashi standing above the corpse. Naruto felt a smirk stretch across his lips, then laughed and shot a victorious grin at the fallen form of his enemy, "It was never about stopping you, jackass, it was about stalling until the pissed Hyugas came and whipped your ass!"

Naruto felt his muscles protest as his limited chakra settled down again. Hiashi pulled him from the rubble and helped him stand, a grateful look on his face. Naruto winced as a few of his joints cracked.

"It seems we have you to thank for my daughter's rescue. O namae wa (What is your name)?"

Naruto grinned foxily, "Boku no namae wa Uzumaki Naruto desu (My name is Uzumaki Naruto). And it was nothing. Couldn't let Hinata-san get kidnapped, could I?"

Hiashi gave him a once over when he heard the name, then smiled and declared, "No, I guess you couldn't. But how did you know?"

Naruto blushed, "Ah, well…you see…um…"

Hiashi smirked, "So it was your sleeping bag outside the Compound? Whatever for?"

"Well, I didn't completely trust the foreign ninja," he scratched the back of his head awkwardly. Hiashi seemed skeptical of his story, "Especially around Hinata-chan…"

"Oh, so it's Hinata-_chan_ now, is it?" Hiashi grinned a sly grin.

"Ah, well…um…" Naruto stuttered, his blush darkening. "I was kind of…watching her birthday party…she just seemed like a really nice person…so…"

"Well," Hiashi said, "If you think so highly of my daughter, how about I introduce you? Say hi, Hinata-chan."

Hinata peeked out from behind her father, buried her face in his pants leg, and uttered a meek, "Konnichi wa, Naruto-kun."

Naruto grinned, despite the bruises, "Konban wa, Hinata-chan. (Good Evening)"

An awkward silence befell the group, and Naruto suddenly wished he could disappear. But he knew that the Hyuga clan was very formal, and that him disappearing would be very suspicious.

Hiashi was the one who finally broke the silence, "Well, Naruto-san, what do you say we take you to the Hyuga infirmary to get patched up?"

Naruto did a short bow, "Arigatou, demo (thank you, but)…I heal very quickly. These bruises will be gone by morning. Truly, I am very grateful for the offer, Hiashi-sama, but I must decline."

"Well, if you insist…" As Hyuga clan branch members flooded the area, Hiashi turned around and prepared to walk home, "I hope to see you again, Naruto-san. Oyasumi nasai (Good Night)."

Hiashi started walking. Hinata, whose gaze was still on Naruto, stayed where she was. A blush spread across her face, and she suddenly dashed forward, planting a soft kiss on Naruto's cheek.

With a soft, "Oyasumi nasai, Naruto-kun!" she rushed to catch up with her father.

A goofy grin spread across his face as Naruto waved. Then, before the branch members' eyes, he disappeared in a flicker of yellow (Shunshin no Jutsu, people, not Hiraishin).

* * *

The aftereffects of his meddling soon became obvious to Naruto. With his father dead, Neji loathed the main branch even more. And this time, he loathed Naruto for his part in the Cloud ninja's death. Hinata was slightly bolder, but she still blushed and stuttered around Naruto. He had no idea why.

Hiashi treated Naruto with the utmost respect every time Naruto visited Hinata. Naruto and Hinata were probably the only ones keeping Hiashi sane after his wife died giving birth to Hinata's little sister, Hanabi. With his wife and brother dead, his nephew Neji thirsty for his blood, and the clan council trying to dictate his every move, Hiashi found it difficult to keep a lid on his quickly shortening temper. But with Hinata's kindness, and Naruto's happy and easy-going attitude, he managed to keep himself in check.

On his sixth birthday, Naruto received three gifts in all. Two were from the Third Hokage, and the third was from Hinata, which Hiashi had taken upon himself to deliver. It had been quite a pleasant surprise to find the ever-busy Hyuga Hiashi standing on his doorstep with a neatly wrapped gift in his hand and happy smile on his face.

The Third's first gift had been a note telling him that he had been accepted to the Ninja Academy. He had kind of expected it. He had gotten the same gift the first time around. It was the Third's second gift that had surprised him. Weights. The Sandaime had gotten him wrist and ankle weights. They were black and looked like simple two-inch wide wrist/ankle bands. They were adjustable, so Naruto could easily change the weight of them.

Hinata's gift had been very unexpected. Or rather, Hinata's _gifts_ had been rather unexpected. She had gotten him a pair of black goggles, very similar to the green ones he had worn in his original life. In the same box, there were a few sets of the same clothes. Five black tee-shirts, all with a the Sharingan tomoe design stitched into the back with white silk, and five pairs of ANBU style pants, which included the ankle wraps. Two ninja utility belts joined the rest of the clothing. A couple hundred thousand yen and a note were packed neatly beneath it all. The note briefly explained that he could use the yen to buy larger clothes when he grew out of them. All packed in the same box.

After shortly worrying about the Sharingan design, he hid it with a Genjutsu, and packed all but one set into his closet.

It was as he was nearing his seventh birthday that Naruto was feeling a bit nervous and on the edge. The Uchiha massacre was set to happen soon, and he knew he couldn't do anything about it. Regardless of that, he had taken to following Sasuke home every day. He knew he couldn't defeat Itachi or stop the massacre, but he would be there to pick up the pieces when it happened.

It was a dark, Halloween night when the devastating bloodbath occurred. Upon sighting the first body, Naruto had found the best hiding spot he could, and waited for the events to unfold.

He cringed with every scream, knowing that Sasuke was suffering at Itachi's hands. He winced at Itachi's cold voice and flinched when an agonized cry tore through the night sky. He stiffened as he saw Itachi dash by, headed for Konoha's outer walls. He waited, and as soon as he was sure the Uchiha murderer had left and was far enough away, he moved from his hiding place and canceled the Genjutsu hiding the design on the back of his shirt.

Very carefully, he crept towards the sound of pitiful crying. The bodies littering the ground made it hard for him to walk around, and his nose stung with the coppery scent of blood, but he walked on, careful not to disturb the corpses beneath his feet.

He found the source of the weeping curled up in front of an Uchiha home, soaked with blood not his own. Seven year old Sasuke was leaning up against the wall, tear filled eyes wide and peaking out above his knees. His arms were wrapped tightly around his shins, and his arched back heaved with every strained breath. His black shirt was rumpled and wrinkled, clinging to his form with sweat and the unending river of crimson liquid. His lean, young arms trembled and his obsidian eyes stared straight ahead, unseeing.

As Naruto slowly approached him, he activated his incomplete Sharingan, and held back the bile that rose in his throat. He concluded, quite decisively, that he didn't want to be looking at the scene of a massacre in such detail.

He knelt down, placing a gentle hand on Sasuke's shaking shoulder. Sasuke's head whipped around, and his eyes focused on Naruto with light speed. Naruto noticed the frightened look in Sasuke's eyes and quickly turned off his Sharingan. He sighed in relief as the darkness hid the majority of the massacre.

"Hey," Naruto whispered, shaking Sasuke lightly, "Let's get out of here."

Sasuke didn't move.

"A-are you…U-Uchiha?" He asked timidly. "I-I thought I was th-the last one."

"Yeah," Naruto said, "But you're not alone anymore. We're the last ones alive, but at least we've got each other. Your cousin Naruto won't leave you alone in all this."

Sasuke smiled weakly, "Th-thank you."

"You're not alone, Sasuke. And you never will be ever again," Naruto smiled, "Now let's get out of here. Hokage-sama will know what to do."

Sasuke nodded, and tried to stand. His knees trembled for a few seconds, then he collapsed back onto his butt. Naruto sighed and helped him up, slinging the boy's right arm over his shoulders. With a one-handed seal, they disappeared in a flicker of black.

* * *

Sandaime's breath caught in his throat as a mass of black, red, and yellow landed in his office with a thud and two loud "Ouch!"

He stood from his chair as a crimson liquid seeped onto the pristine floors of his office. The mass, or maybe masses would be more appropriate, that had appeared in his office sat up with a groan.

A blonde haired boy rubbed his head, grinning at the old man, "Hey, Ojisan."

"H-hokage-sama," Sasuke stuttered.

Sandaime sighed, "Naruto. What brings you here?"

Naruto pulled up two chairs. He sat Sasuke down in one and sat in the other himself, "The rest of the Uchiha are dead. I witnessed Uchiha Itachi leaving the scene of the crime. When I heard the sounds of distress, I investigated and found Sasuke-kun suffering from severe mental trauma."

Sandaime blinked as his mind registered the information. Then it sunk in just what he had said, and his face turned serious, "Where?"

"The Uchiha Compound," Naruto said, suppressing a shudder. "There are bodies everywhere."

Sandaime turned on the intercom and spoke to his secretary, "Send in Kakashi."

The Third sat down again and waited, his hands folded in front of his mouth. Sasuke drifted off to sleep, still covered in blood, but comforted by his cousin's presence. Naruto fidgeted, impatient.

Finally, after fifteen minutes, a dog-masked ANBU walked through the door. He strode up to the Third's desk and bent forward at his midsection, "You called, Hokage-sama?"

Sandaime nodded, "Yes, Kakashi. Naruto-kun here," he motioned towards Naruto, "has just brought me the most disturbing news. It seems that Uchiha Itachi has massacred his clan. Sasuke-kun," his hand pointed at the sleeping boy, "is reported to be the only survivor…"

"No, he's not," Naruto said, his eyes closed. They opened slowly, revealing two red orbs swirling with the Sharingan, "My mother's heritage marks me as an Uchiha as well. I am the second survivor of this genocide."

"W-when?" Sandaime stuttered.

"How?" Kakashi asked.

Naruto sighed, dredging up the lie he had prepared, "The…events of my mother's death caused me emotional stress. Even at such a young age, I seemed to understand the…depth of the situation. The addition of the burden my father placed on me on the same day, mere minutes later, forced me into a sort of panic. My Sharingan activated as a result of that stress, and, until that overwhelming pain of the seal knocked me out, I could see with much more clarity. It's…why I can remember that night so well."

"How often did you use it?" Sandaime asked, leaning forward.

"Everyday, when no one was noticing. I'd watch ninja spars until I ran low on chakra. I can't use most of them, though. Don't have enough chakra."

Kakashi snapped his fingers in an 'I get it!' way, "So _that's_ why the villagers had such a hard time catching you! You evaded them using the Sharingan. It also explains your knowledge of Jutsu as well as your developed vocabulary."

"Back to the matter at hand," Sandaime said, reigning Kakashi's moment of discovery. "The Uchiha clan has been murdered and I want you and your team to investigate the scene. Dismissed."

Kakashi bowed quickly, "Hai, Hokage-sama." And swiftly left the room.

"Old man," Sandaime turned his attention back to Naruto. "I want you to keep my bloodline quiet for now. And I'm going to need a bigger apartment for Sasuke and I."

The Third blinked, "What do you mean?"

Naruto glanced at the raven haired Uchiha, "Sasuke's…unstable right now. He needs someone from his family to support him. And I'm the only one left. As for the apartment…us living in the Uchiha compound would only make things worse for Sasuke. It would imprint bad memories in his mind and he'd relive this horrible event everyday. It'd be better if we just found a big enough apartment."

Sandaime nodded, "I understand. I'll have one for you tomorrow. For now…you can sleep here. I'll stay all night to watch over you."

Naruto nodded as the old Hokage buzzed his intercom, "I'm going to need a few futons in here. I'll also need three blankets and two small yukata."

"Hai, Hokage-sama," the secretary replied.

The old man shook his head, a smile twitching on his lips, despite the situation, "You'll make a great Hokage someday, Naruto."

Naruto grinned foxily, "I know."

The next five years went by in a flash for Naruto, and as he looked back on it, he found he was quite content with the results of his 'meddling'. Granted, Neji was worse off this time, and the Uchiha clan was still down to three members, but, over all, things had taken a turn for the better.

Hinata was still quite shy around Naruto, and she blushed and stuttered very often. But being friends with Naruto had made Hinata a stronger person, and Naruto easily noticed how much more powerful she was during their spars. She had come very far with her Juken, and had started working on the Kaiten when she turned eleven. Naruto was very eager to train with her so that he could eliminate her chances of losing to Neji. They were the best of friends, though Naruto felt oddly happy and light headed every time she smiled at him. He was still trying to figure out why.

After merely a year of living together with Sasuke, Naruto immediately saw some of himself rubbing off on the dark haired Uchiha. He really should have guessed it would happen, considering they were practically inseparable, but it still surprised him. Sasuke, the original Sasuke, had been broody and sulking and often stayed quiet, except for the occasional insult and such. This new Sasuke, who was carefree and happy, could be found pulling pranks with Naruto. Many of the victims had taken to calling them "Densetsu-teki na Uzumaki Kyodai" or the "Legendary Uzumaki Brothers".

Naruto had never realize how useful two pairs of Sharingan eyes would be in pulling pranks until Sasuke had started participating in the all out "war" against the hateful villagers. Iruka had punished them countless times for innumerable pranks, especially when he wound up with lipstick, blush, and eyeliner on his face, and a blonde wig on his head. Hinata never participated in their pranks, and she was never a target of them, but Naruto could often hear her giggling at them.

For his seventh birthday, Hinata had gotten him a few D-ranked Jutsu scrolls, with techniques like Kawarimi and Henge on them. Hiashi had thrown in a few free Ichiraku Ramen coupons. The Third Hokage had given him kunai and Shuriken.

Hinata gave Naruto several scrolls on stealth for his eighth birthday, and the Third had given him higher settings for his weights, explaining how a Genjutsu-Ninjutsu hybrid melded the metal weights into the little black bands. Needless to say, Naruto was a little confused.

For his ninth birthday, Sasuke had taken Naruto into the Uchiha Compound to find the traditional Jutsu scrolls. They had been most successful. Hinata had given him more scrolls on Genin level Jutsu, and the Third had continued to give him weights.

On his ninth, tenth, eleventh, and twelfth birthdays, Hinata, Hiashi, Sasuke, and the Sandaime had run out of things to give him (besides Ichiraku coupons), so they had simply thrown him a huge party, inviting everyone who treated Naruto the way he deserved to be treated. That meant that Kakashi, Sasuke, Sarutobi, Hinata, and Hiashi were the only ones that attended. The parties had been small, but Naruto had loved them nonetheless.

Naruto panted as he ran from the scene of his crime, a can of black paint swinging from his left hand. Sasuke was running behind him, a can of red paint sloshing beneath his fingers.

"Get back here, Naruto!"

"Stop now, Sasuke!"

Naruto and Sasuke laughed excitedly, letting the paint cans fly behind them, where they collided with and spilled over two of the Chuunin chasing them. The trouble-making duo rounded a fence and flew down the alleyway. The remaining Chuunin followed, dashing past the yellow wooden walls of the fence around them.

An outline suddenly appeared on a section of the fence and a piece of cloth painted to look like a fence fell forward, revealing a grinning Naruto and Sasuke.

"Idiots," Naruto and Sasuke chuckled quietly. They turned around, still staring at the disappearing backs of their pursuers. Then they whipped their heads around and ran in the opposite direction…

But they barely made it three inches before they collided with a green clothed chest. Both fell backwards, landing on their posteriors with their heads down, staring at the dirt street. Naruto swallowed the lump in his throat and looked up, mirrored by Sasuke.

Iruka stood in front of them, a disapproving glare set about his stern face. His mouth was twisted upside down in a disappointed frown, and his eyebrows were nit together at the center of his forehead, right above his nose. His hands rested on his hips in a reprimanding sort of way, and his nostrils seemed to flare.

"Iruka-sensei, we can explain…" Sasuke stuttered. Naruto nodded.

"Yeah, it was all in the name of good fun…" the blonde's head was bobbing up and down.

Iruka bent forward and opened his mouth, "FOOLS!!"

* * *

Naruto and Sasuke were tied up in front of the class, and everyone was staring at them. Many members of the Sasuke fan club would tell you what a bad influence Naruto had been on Sasuke. And the very minute Naruto fan club would argue that Naruto's influence had been a good thing for Sasuke.

"Tomorrow is the Academy's graduation exam. You, Naruto, have failed the last two times!" Iruka shouted, jabbing his finger into the blonde's chest. "This is no time to be causing trouble, you morons!"

Both Naruto and Sasuke scoffed, as they had many a time before, "Yeah, yeah."

Iruka's eyebrow twitched and he turned to the class, "Time for a review of the Henge no Jutsu! Line up, and transform perfectly into me!"

The class groaned, but did as they were told and lined up. Everyone, including Sasuke, pulled it off without trouble, but it was not to be so when Naruto took his turn.

With a hand seal and a puff of smoke, Naruto disappeared, revealing a perfect image of Iruka standing in his place. Naruto grinned and turned around to wave at the class. Immediately, Iruka noticed a 'Kick me' sign on Naruto's back, and felt a vein throb in his temple.

"NA-RU-TO!" A fist came down and whacked Naruto atop the head, releasing the transformation.

"Ow!" Naruto cried, rubbing the developing bump on his cranium. He turned around and pouted at Iruka, "But Iruka-sensei, it was perfect! Go ahead and look at your back!"

Iruka reached behind him with his free hand and pulled off the piece of paper he felt there. He brought it in front of him, examining the words written on it.

…

…'Kick me'…

Iruka and his supersensitive 'teacher's hearing' heard a snicker, and his head whipped around to focus on Sasuke, whose hands were plastered in front of his mouth to hide the giggling that threatened to burst from his lips.

Iruka felt his eyebrow twitch again.

* * *

Iruka smirked at the two boys below him, "You two aren't going home till its all clean."

"Don't care," Naruto grumbled.

Sasuke scowled, "It's not like we have much to go home to."

Iruka's smirk melted into a frown and he contemplated something for a second, "Hey guys…clean this up quick, and I'll take you out for Ramen."

Naruto and Sasuke turned to each other and grinned secretly. They had conned Iruka into buying them Ramen again.

* * *

Naruto sped through the forest. Things were going almost exactly as he remembered them to be. At least, on this night. Sasuke had gone home after learning of his 'failure'. He knew that Naruto needed his space when he got upset. Right after Sasuke had left, Mizuki had joined him on his swing and told him of the 'alternate' way to graduate. Naruto had played along. Hook, line, and sinker.

He had easily stolen the Scroll of Forbidden Seals. All he had had to do was use the old man's perverseness against him. It only took a hand seal, a puff of smoke, and a little of forbidden flesh to knock the aged Hokage out cold. The entirety of the security around the scroll was quickly bypassed, and Naruto had left before anyone could figure out what had happened.

The most interesting thing he had found was something called the "Hiraishin no Jutsu", and he had quickly found out that it was his father's most powerful Ninjutsu. That alone was reason enough to read about it.

"This Jutsu was created by the fourth Hokage. To activate it, the user needs a special seal or "Jutsu formula" (Jutsu-shiki) to mark the destination. After this is done, the user can travel almost instantaneously to that location. The Fourth applied this Jutsu-shiki in advance to small weapons such as kunai. It is possible to leave a formula on an area touched by the user."

Naruto grinned, pulling out the marker he had brought specifically for the occasion. A blank scroll was slipped secretly from out of his kunai pouch and unrolled next to the Forbidden Scroll of Seals.

In what seemed to be no time at all, every detail concerning the Hiraishin was careful inscribed on the previously blank scroll, and Naruto held enough of an understanding of the technique to recite the most useful Jutsu-shiki by heart.

With both scrolls put away, Naruto eagerly pulled out kunai, inscribing a Jutsu-shiki on each of them. He left no single knife untouched and unaltered, and, in the end, probably had enough kunai to stop an army. Now, the only problem he had was chakra.

Naruto sighed. It was going to take a long time to get his reserves up so high again. He looked up to the large tree in front of him.

"Well," he told himself, "If you want to succeed, you have to try."

Naruto panted. It had taken the better part of the day, but he had done it. The large tree behind him had slash marks decorating its front, each a few inches apart. The distance between the marks quickly grew, and, about halfway up the tree, the marks were easily three feet apart from one another.

There was a funny prickling on the back of Naruto's head, and he quickly dropped into his act. He had to reenact his graduation almost perfectly, lest he change something vital. It would not do for something to go wrong so far into his second chance.

Naruto looked up as Iruka landed in front of him, a creepy look on his face; "I've found you."

Naruto scratched the back of his head, laughing nervously, "Heh heh, yeah, you found me. I only had a chance to learn one Jutsu!"

Iruka's eyes trailed over Naruto's form, noticing rips and frayed patches in the fabric of his black tee shirt, "You've been working hard. What have you been doing?"

Naruto giggled excitedly, "Never mind that! If I show you this really cool Jutsu, you'll let me graduate!"

Iruka blinked, "What gave you that idea?"

Naruto grinned, "Mizuki-sensei!" Naruto patted the large scroll on his back, "He also told me where to find this scroll! He said that if I mastered one Jutsu on here, you'd let me graduate!"

Iruka's mouth fell open, _"Mizuki started this?"_

A whooshing sound fell unto their ears, and a barrage of kunai fell upon them as if on cue. Naruto, as prepared as he was, could not prevent Iruka from pushing him away and taking the blow for himself. Iruka raised his arms to defend himself and was pushed against the hut by the rain of throwing knives.

A soft rustle of leaves brought everyone's attention to the other end of the clearing, where Mizuki sat on a branch. A smirk was plastered to his lips and two large shuriken were strapped to his back. The super sized throwing stars clanged lightly as he let out a dark chuckle. "Good job finding him, Iruka."

"I see," Iruka spat, tugging a kunai from his shoulder, "So that's what's going on…"

"Naruto," Mizuki's malicious smile disappeared, "Give me the scroll."

"No matter what," Iruka pulled another knife from his shoulder, "Naruto, don't give him the scroll! He _used_ you to get his dirty hands on it!"

An evil grin stretched across the silver haired man's face.

"Naruto," Mizuki said in a singsong voice, "There's no point in you having the scroll…let me tell you the truth…"

"No, Mizuki!" Iruka shouted in protest. "Don't!"

Mizuki's smirk widened into a maniacal grin and his voice was slightly giddy, "Twelve years ago, the demon fox Kyubi was sealed. And ever since that event, a new rule was created…a rule that everyone knows but you…because, Naruto…you were never meant to know it."

"Oh?" Naruto asked, eyes icy blue. "What rule?"

"That no one is allowed to speak of the fact," Mizuki's eyes widened excitedly. "That _you_ are the nine tailed demon fox that killed Iruka's parents and nearly destroyed the village!"

"You were sealed up by the Hokage you admire…" Mizuki's voice rose. "…And everybody hates you!"

Naruto snorted, ruining Mizuki's speech, "You're full of it. You think I didn't know about the demon?"

Mizuki face grew confused. "Huh?"

Naruto chuckled, "I've known about the demon fox since forever! I mean, it's kind of hard to ignore a seal stuck to your stomach, isn't it?"

"Bu-but…but…" Mizuki stuttered.

"No," Naruto shook his head, hands on his hips. "The question is, what do we do with you?"

"What?" Mizuki asked, alarmed.

Naruto snapped his fingers, "Ah! I know!"

A cross-shaped seal later, and a couple hundred shadow clones surrounded the clearing. Each of them was grinning, eyes closed mischievously. They were there to prevent Mizuki's escape.

The original blonde used the traitor's distraction with his doppelgangers to call upon a fraction of the Kyubi's youki. It sparked through his system, helping to replenish his own chakra. It helped restore his energy reserves and he felt _much_ better than he had five minutes ago.

With most of his chakra back, Naruto's hands slipped through four hand seals. Chakra soon gathered around his right hand, and Naruto grasped his right forearm with his left hand. The chakra peeled off his skin in fiery waves.

"Taiyoushin Ittou Tansen," Naruto whispered. The chakra fluctuated, changing to a deep, burning red. The new flames crackled, but Naruto's body remained untouched by their intensity. 

Mizuki backed away into the awaiting grasp of two Naruto clones. He could do nothing to stop them from grabbing his arms and keeping him pinned to his position.

Naruto's icy gaze bore into Mizuki's eyes, "You have endangered the life of a Konoha Shinobi. You have threatened the safety of the village itself. You have turned traitor and abandoned your country. Now I am your judge. I am your jury. I am…your executioner."

Fear crept onto the traitor's face, "N-no! Y-you're the D-dead last!"

Naruto's flaming fist crashed into Mizuki's chest, burning away his shirt and flak jacket. The flames exploded outward, burning skin and cloth away from the man's torso. In a matter of seconds, the only clothing on the rogue ninja's body were the sleeves of his shirt and his pants. Charred skin lay where the rest was supposed to be. Mizuki screamed and fell backwards, dead to the world.

Naruto wiped the sweat from his brow as the fire disappeared. In a disinterested tone, he added, "The damage to your skin isn't nearly as bad as it feels."

The blonde ninja turned and swaggered back to Iruka as his clones disappeared, a smile on his face, "Are you okay, Iruka-sensei?"

Iruka smiled back, "Close your eyes, Naruto." 

Naruto closed his eyes and held his breath, his heart beating erratically. He could feel his goggles being pulled from his head, then a piece of cloth being tied above his eyebrows. He couldn't help the grin that stretched across his face.

"Okay," Iruka said, "You can open your eyes. And…Congratulations on graduating!"

Naruto felt his eyes water, despite knowing that he was going to graduate anyway. Tears trickled down his cheeks and he threw himself into Iruka's arms, "Iruka-sensei!"

* * *

Naruto was in a place he quite easily recognized. It _is_ kind of hard to forget about it when it's the place where your inner demon lives, isn't it?

The blonde ninja waded quickly through the flood, water sloshing about his knees. He ignored each door and alternate hallway he passed; he knew where he was going, and could find his way even without the ominous red glow.

When he came upon his destination, he drew in a breath and passed into the large cavern, preparing himself to meet the great Kyubi for the 'first' time.

The sight that met his eyes wasn't any different than he remembered it. The walls were still dirty, the floor still one massive puddle, and the sturdy barrier of bars was just as strong and powerful as he first saw.

Naruto braced himself as one huge, gigantic red eye opened behind the makeshift cage, zeroing in on his small form. He suppressed a shudder; being in _Its_ presence could do that to anyone.

"**Brat,"** a deep voice growled, coming from the general direction of the eye, **"What do you want? You're disturbing my sleep."**

Naruto crossed his arms and glared at the figure behind the bars, "You could have given me more Chakra, you know. I could barely stand after I used my new Jutsu!"

The voice chuckled, **"So you noticed, did you? Congratulations, brat. You're not as dumb as I thought you were."**

"Look, Fuzzy," Naruto ignored the warning growl, "If we're gonna survive this whole thing, you better give me all the Chakra I ask for. Because if I die, you die, and withholding your chakra could get us both killed!"

"**You've got guts, brat,"** the beast admitted grudgingly, **"And you've got a point too. So I'll go along with you, for now."

* * *

**

Two days later…

The sun shone brightly as Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke walked down the streets of Konoha together. Each had a happy smile on their face and a spring in their step as the Academy came into view.

Sasuke wore his usual attire (the clothes he originally wore in canon). Naruto was in something similar to what Itachi had worn daily. A bigger version of the black shirt Hinata had gotten him was tucked into his ANBU pants and a ninja utility belt hung around his waist. White ANBU armor was strapped tightly to his torso, stolen from Itachi's stash. On his right arm, he wore a strap-on sleeve like Sasuke (one of those things that was on Sasuke's arms in his original anime outfit). It disappeared into his right sleeve. His left arm was wrapped in bandages (much like Lee's). They too vanished into his sleeve. On the back of his shirt, hidden by Genjutsu and his new armor, was the Uchiha clan symbol, smack dab in the center of the white tome design.

As the duo reached their destination, Naruto slid the doors open and walked in, followed shortly by Sasuke. Many people crowded the desks, and quite a few waved to Sasuke and Naruto. But they weren't interested.

The Uchiha cousins walked through the aisles and stopped halfway down the classroom. They took a seat. Naruto was between Hinata and Sasuke. Sasuke sat at the last space on the desk. It served him best; no fan girls could sit next to him.

Out of the three of them, Hinata seemed to have changed the most. She still wore a coat over top of her ninja attire, and her pants were still black. But her deep indigo hair was long and cascaded over her shoulders and down across her back. Her bangs were still neatly cropped right above her eyebrows and she was still a bit shy and quiet, but she was more confident in herself and her abilities. Winning Naruto's love didn't seem impossible anymore.

Ino and Sakura's entrance went unnoticed, and then things quieted down. Iruka entered the room and everyone immediately shut up. Not a whisper escaped their mouths as the teacher began his graduation speech.

Naruto tuned out the speech. He had ignored it the first time; he could ignore it again. He was only half listening when Iruka called the teams, and he really didn't expect it to change.

But it had.

"…Team Seven: Hyuga Hinata; Uchiha Sasuke; Uzumaki Naruto…" Iruka shouted, his eyes traveling down the list. "…Team Eight: Inuzuka Kiba; Haruno Sakura; Aburame Shino…"

Naruto's cheek slipped off his palm and his chin collided with the desk. His eyes were wide open now, and even though it had hurt to hit his chin, he was totally ignorant of the pain.

His surprise soon vanished, replaced with elation. He let out a whoop of joy, hugging the two people next to him with a fervor unrivaled.

Hinata blushed and Sasuke scowled, though his lips would twitch every now and then. Many of Sasuke's fan girls squealed angrily, obviously upset they couldn't be with their "Sasuke-kun".

But to Naruto, none of those things mattered. His motivation behind the hug had been totally different.

Fate had changed. And this time, it was for the better.

Naruto hid a gulp as the killing intent of multiple fan girls rested onto him and Hinata.

Maybe, though, it was for the worst.

* * *

Three hours had passed since lunchtime, and only team Seven was left sitting in the lonely classroom. Naruto had his head resting on his arms, a bored look on his face. Hinata sat on his right, a light blush on her cheeks, sneaking glances when she thought Naruto wasn't looking. Sasuke sat on Naruto's left, eyes half closed with his chin resting in his right palm.

Naruto sighed, "There's only one person who could be anywhere near this late."

Sasuke nodded, "Yup."

"Kakashi," they said in unison. Then they both sighed. They had grown up knowing Kakashi and his tardiness. It had always been a pet peeve for them, and Kakashi delighted in angering them.

Twenty minutes later, Naruto and Sasuke were snoring lightly, drool trailing down their chins. The classroom door opened, but Hinata was the only one who noticed.

The silver haired man known as Kakashi peered in, his gaze settling on the two sleeping boys. Naruto, he noted, wore clothing that was disturbingly familiar. He smirked.

"Well, I guess I can see why people would call them the Legendary Uzumaki Brothers. They don't do anything alone, do they?"

Hinata blinked, "Ano, Sensei…you're late."

Kakashi chuckled beneath his mask, "Wake up those two and meet me on the roof."

Team Seven sat assembled on the roof of the Academy. Naruto and Sasuke yawned, rubbing their eyes.

"Alright," Kakashi said, leaning up against the railing, "Let's start off with some introductions. You know, likes, dislikes, dreams for the future…"

Naruto frowned sleepily, "Why don't you go first, sensei?"

Kakashi shrugged, "My name is Hatake Kakashi. My likes and dislikes are none of your business. Dreams for the future…? Well…I have a lot of hobbies."

The gray haired Jounin pointed to Naruto, "Your turn, Blondie."

Naruto yawned, scratching his stomach, "Name's Uzumaki Naruto. I like Ramen, Hinata-chan, my cousin Sasuke, and training. What I dislike are those who judge others unfairly. Dreams for the future…?"

He thought for a second, "Helping Sasuke take revenge for our clan, and to become the greatest Hokage ever.

"Hobbies," he grinned, "Pulling pranks with Sasuke and sparring with Hinata-chan."

Kakashi nodded, pointing to Sasuke, "Next."

Sasuke rubbed his right eye, "My name is (yawn!) Uchiha Sasuke. I like Ramen, fire Jutsu, my cousin Naruto, and training. (Yawn!) I dislike people who judge others based on face value."

"Hobbies?" Sasuke scratched his chin, "Pulling pranks on the ignorant villagers and training my Sharingan with Naruto.

"My dream…avenge my clan and revive it…And help my cousin reach the top."

Kakashi blinked, _"That was…unexpected."_

Slightly unnerved, Kakashi pointed to Hinata, "Your turn."

"Ano…" Hinata said, "My name is Hyuga Hinata. I l-like Naruto-kun, Sasuke-san, and sparring with Naruto-kun. I dislike others who judge people unjustly. My hobbies are pressing flowers, and training to become a medic-nin. My dreams for the future? Ano…" She blushed, staring at Naruto, "I-I can't say."

Kakashi resisted the urge to arch an eyebrow, _"So she likes Naruto, eh?"_

"Right then," Kakashi said, standing straight, his hands in his pockets, "Tomorrow we'll begin with some survival training."

Sasuke and Naruto sighed, but Hinata spoke up for them, "Ano…Sensei, we already did that at the Academy."

Kakashi leaned against the railing and chuckled, his eye closed. His voice had an 'I know something you don't know' tone to it, "You guys are gonna flip. You see, the Academy test is just to see if you have what it takes to be Genin. The real test is administered by us Jounin sensei."

Kakashi leered at the newly formed Team Seven, an evil gleam in his eye, "And that test has a failure rate of 66.66 percent."

He turned, taking a small moment to enjoy the looks on their faces, "Bring your ninja gear tomorrow. And don't eat breakfast, you'll puke."

* * *

_"Are you sure this wise, Hiashi-sama? They're only kids," Sandaime sat with his hands folded in front of his mouth, elbows propped up on his desk. He was in a conference with Hyuga Hiashi, Hinata's father._

_Hiashi sighed, "As much as I hate to force this upon them, it must be done. Naruto-kun needs the protection of a clan, and the only clan capable of providing adequate protection for him is the Hyuga. If I could adopt him into the clan any other way, I would have, but this is the only method I could slip past the elders with. I don't need their approval to set up a marriage."_

_The Third Hokage sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose, "Naruto-kun will not be happy about this. I don't think Hinata-san will be either."_

"_Naruto-kun and Hinata-chan are already good friends," Hiashi assured him, "They may find it awkward at first, but they will adapt to being married quite easily. They probably would have been engaged to one another in four years anyway."_

"_What do you mean?" The Third had a good idea what he meant, but he wanted confirmation._

_Hiashi sat back, folding his hands in his lap, "I have noticed that Hinata-chan and Naruto-kun are very fond of one another—more so than any best friend ever is. In four years, they could legally marry without any of the repercussions they might have encountered earlier. I suspect they would have done so."_

_Sandaime sighed, "So that was why you wanted them on the same team?"_

"_Yes," Hiashi nodded, "It will help with their integration into marriage four years from now."_

"_I don't like it very much," Sandaime admitted, "But I will allow it. Just make sure to take care of any problems before you go through with it, Hiashi-sama."_

_Hiashi stood and bowed, "Thank you, Sarutobi-sama."

* * *

_

The three would-be Genin of Team Seven waited impatiently where their sensei had told them to wait. Normally, this might not have made much sense, since they would only be waiting a few minutes. But this team was different. This team had Hatake Kakashi for a teacher, and he was known to be chronically late to everything. So, naturally, they had been waiting for about three hours.

Kakashi walked into the clearing, a backpack strapped to his torso. He smiled at them, and waved, "Hey guys, good morning!"

"You're late!" Sasuke and Naruto shouted, pointing at the tall Jounin.

The gray haired man ignored them and set an alarm clock on one of the posts. He poked it and it dinged, then started ticking. Kakashi turned back to them, "It's set for noon."

He held up two bells, "You have until then to take these from me. That is your task for today."

"If you don't get a bell, say good bye to lunch," he continued, "I'll tie you up to one of those logs and eat in front of you. Those who get no bell fail and get sent back to the Academy. That will be at least one of you."

Kakashi tied the bells to his belt loop, "You'll have to come at me with the intent to kill."

"Ready," he paused, "Set…GO!"

The three Genin all jumped away, kicking up a cloud of dust…except Naruto. Kakashi sweat-dropped, "You're an odd one."

Naruto chuckled, "The only thing odd here is your hair!"

Kakashi looked at Naruto in a calculating way, _"He has the Sharingan, as well as a large repertoire of Jutsu. I won't be able to read with him around."_

Naruto stared at Kakashi, then grinned, unstrapping something on his forearms and ankles. Four black pieces of cloth fell to the earth, leaving meter wide craters in the earth. Kakashi sweat-dropped again, _"Uh oh."_

"Now," Naruto said, his grin widening, "I'm ready."

Kakashi had to double take when Naruto disappeared before him, his eye wide with surprise. "What?!"

A black tornado surrounded the Jounin, flecked with blonde and peach. A blur suddenly flew from the circular pattern, striking the distracted Kakashi in the jaw before rejoining the miniature cyclone.

Regaining his bearings, Kakashi pulled two figures from the whirlwind, forcing it to dissipate. He chuckled, "Not as great as you thought, huh?"

He slammed one of the Narutos into the ground, where it puffed into smoke. The second Naruto broke free from Kakashi's grasp while the elite ninja was concentrated on his other. He tried to send a roundhouse kick into the man's chin, only to have Kakashi duck at the last second.

With Naruto's back exposed to him, Kakashi set his hands into a seal, an evil gleam in his eyes.

"Konoha Secret Taijutsu Technique: A Thousand Years of Pain!"

A powerful ass poke sent Naruto flying, bursting into smoke a few yards from his sensei.

Kakashi's eyebrow rose, "A clone?"

* * *

"Got it?"

Sasuke and Hinata nodded. Naruto grinned, "Good."

"A-are you sure this will work, N-Naruto-kun?" Hinata was slightly apprehensive. Kakashi was a Jounin after all.

Sasuke smirked. He knew that none of Naruto's plans failed. The combination of Sharingan and Naruto's natural cunning assured victory.

Naruto grinned, "Of course, Hinata-chan!"

* * *

Kakashi looked up from his book as Hinata rushed from the trees, launching a palm strike towards his stomach. Kakashi easily dodged it, but was unprepared for punch that struck his head.

Sasuke giggled impishly, "Never let your guard down, Sensei."

"Well," the jounin said in an approving tone, "It appears you two have grasped the meaning of the exercise. But where's…?"

The three shinobi jumped out of the path of a large fireball as it barreled towards them, courtesy of Naruto. The blonde grinned at them.

"You okay? Sasuke? Hinata-chan?"

They both nodded.

"Oh," Kakashi said, "I see. But…"

The alarm sounded, dropping the smiles from the Genin's faces.

Kakashi grinned at them, "…Your time is up."

All three of his students sighed.

* * *

The three Genin were tied to the stumps, Naruto in the middle with Hinata and Sasuke to his right and left respectively. Kakashi stood in front of them, bent down to their level.

"You know, none of you got a bell, but you all understood the meaning of this exercise. Somehow, when I read the names of the three Genin assigned to be my students, I knew you guys would pass."

Naruto, Sasuke, and Hinata's heads rose. "You mean?"

Kakashi smiled at them, "Yup. Team Seven starts missions tomorrow."

**

* * *

A/N This is not a sequel to ASCTR. This doesn't have anything to do with ASCTR.**

**Taiyoushin Ittou Tansen — Sun God's Single Strike Edge  
Naruto's first original Jutsu (during his second chance, anyway). A sort of mimicry of Kakashi's "Raikiri". Consumes an ungodly amount of chakra. It turns the chakra concentrated to one's fist into hot flames. The user remains unharmed, but anything else that touches it will feel as if they had been stricken by the sun. Thus its name. It is also very much advised that you have the Sharingan as well. If you miss and can't keep Taiyoushin Ittou Tansen active, you're a goner.**

**Updates will be slow for all my stories, due primarily to the new school year.**

**Steadfast, my friends, and good luck.**

**James Daniel Fawkes**

**_James Daniel Fawkes_ (Signature best viewed in _Wendy Medium_ font style)**


	2. The Legendary Sword: Masamune

**A Simple Change: The Sharingan**

**By: **James Fawkes

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Rurouni Kenshin.**

**Chapter One: The Legendary Sword: Masamune**

**o.0.O.O.0.o**

Naruto sat down at Ichiraku's Ramen stand, alone for the first time that day. It had been a tiring day, one filled with boring D-rank missions and basic training. If Naruto didn't know any better, he'd say fate was conspiring to make his life hell.

He glanced to his right, catching sight of a strange looking person. Sitting in the seat next to him was a young man, probably in his late teens, with long red hair, resplendent in a rich, sapphire kimono. It was open slightly in the front, showing off a small portion of his torso. The bottom of his ribs and the whole of his stomach were covered in sarashi, the white "warrior's bandage". His hands and forearms were protected by samurai bracers; cloth bindings that were attached to the back of the hand by a thong looped around the middle finger.

The man's violet eyes were sharp and cold, much like Sasuke's had been. A single, diagonal scar traveled down his left cheek, starting just in front of his ear, and ending near the bottom of his chin, beneath his lips. His mouth was a horizontal line, betraying none of the emotions flitting through his mind. He was a wall of solitude. Long red bangs touched his furrowed brow and jaw, the rest, which would have traveled a great distance down his back, tied into a high ponytail, as was common among some samurai.

An average white obi tied the bottom of his kimono closed; wrapped around twice to make sure it stayed on. A katana and wakizashi were strung to his hip, sheathed in plain black scabbards. Naruto thought that such objects would be uncomfortable and cumbersome when sitting, but the man seemed to have no trouble at all. He looked perfectly content how he was.

Naruto's gaze drifted to the man's pants, which were actually gray hakama, the pants of the samurai, most common with rurouni and ronin.

In the man's right hand were chopsticks, held in his dexterous fingers. The man's left hand held onto the edge of his ramen bowl as he calmly and slowly sipped the noodles, a glass of sake sitting not to far away.

Naruto turned his head back around as his own ramen was laid out in front of him, steaming and fresh off the stove, "So you're the one who's been following me?"

The man paused, gulping down the ramen in his mouth before he talked. He certainly had table manners, "Yes. Yes, I have, Naruto."

Naruto broke his chopsticks; the man sounded just as he imagined he would, "Why?"

The man paused again, considering his words as he continued to eat, "I've heard rumors of a cunning prankster who's managed to outwit several elite ninja. Normally, that would be reason enough for me to investigate."

Naruto snorted, "So?"

"But there was more to the rumor," the man said, his voice as even and calm as ever, "I heard that a _six year old boy_ was the one pulling them off."

"Again," Naruto said, arching an eyebrow, "Your point?"

"Someone like that deserves my attention," the man said, ignoring Naruto's sarcasm, "I've never taken on an apprentice, but a _Jinchuuriki_ would make a most interesting student."

"_Who told you_?" Naruto growled, nearly destroying his chopsticks.

"I know things that many others do not," the man said mysteriously, "And I let my ears open to all things I hear on the street. "

Naruto slurped his ramen, cautious of the man, "So? What're you going to do?"

The man stood, slapping some money down on the table, "I'm going to teach you. Meet me at training area twelve tomorrow after your team's mission. Come alone."

As the man began to walk away, Naruto shouted, "Wait! What's your name?"

The man paused, looking at Naruto over his left shoulder, "Himura Battōsai."

Naruto could only stare as the odd man known as Himura disappeared into the night. His second chance was _definitely_ strange.

o.0.O.O.0.o

The next day, after an infuriating adventure finding Tora, Madam Shijimi's cat…two times in a row…

Naruto walked into the clearing, his hands clenched tightly. He had to admit, he was a bit nervous about what this man, Himura Battōsai, was going to do. He was in uncharted territory.

Himura's expression hadn't seemed to change. His dark eyes were still cold and his mouth was still nothing more than a straight line. His hair remained the same. He turned as Naruto arrived, a katana grasped by the sheath in his right hand. He held it out as Naruto came closer, "This is Masamune. You shall come to cherish it as you do your own life. You'll treat it as if it were your immortal soul."

Naruto took it from Himura's outstretched hand, running his fingers over the intricate dragon designs carved into the polished wood. He had been surprised by its weight at first, but it wasn't anything he couldn't handle. His weights were at an insane level (at least to him; Lee probably wouldn't think so) and Masamune really couldn't compete.

At first, he was at a loss as to where to attach it to his person, since he figured it would take years to get used to having it hang from his shoulder or slung horizontally on his lower back. Since those were out, he decided to attach it to his unnoticeable belt, sitting comfortably on his left hip.

When he was satisfied with its position, he turned his attention back to Himura, who stood patiently, "What next?"

"Next," Himura said, pulling his own sword from its sheath and grasping it with his right hand, "I'll be showing you the basics of Hiten Misturugi Ryū."

Naruto felt dread slide down his spine like icy water, pooling in his stomach. He had a bad feeling that he was going to go home more beaten than his escapade at the Valley of the End.

In the end, his training was most enlightening, and he truly did enjoy it. But he had been _so_ sore that it wasn't even funny. Well, okay, Himura had chuckled shortly when Naruto had complained of aches and pains. But to _Naruto_, it hadn't been funny at all.

Naruto knew that his new training would pay off, probably pretty well against Zabuza, too. But that didn't mean he had to like the burning sensation in his muscles, or the sweat pouring off him in rivers.

All in all, Naruto felt that things had been most productive, if quite painful.

o.0.O.O.0.o

In the four weeks since he had met Himura Battōsai, Naruto felt he had an iron clad grasp of the basics of Hiten Misturugi Ryū. They had hit some bumps and other obstacles here and there—it wasn't an easy thing to learn— but Naruto was quickly picking up skill with the sword called Masamune.

After weeks and weeks of chasing the same cat, sometimes more than once a day, Naruto and Sasuke finally decided on something. They were tired of the same old boring mission.

The aged Hokage's gaze traveled down the list of missions in front of him, "Let's see…Team Seven, your next mission is…"

"No!" Sasuke and Naruto shouted in unison. "We're tired of these easy, menial tasks! We want a C rank mission!"

Naruto turned around, "Isn't that right, Hinata-chan?"

Hinata blushed, her head bobbing up and down.

"Very well, Naruto-kun, Sasuke-kun, Hinata-chan," the Third chuckled, "Your task is the protection of a certain individual."

The old man motioned to his Chuunin helper, who escorted an old drunk in from the room next door. The drunk looked at the Genin, then took a swig from his sake bottle.

"They look like a bunch of super brats! Especially that one," he said, pointing to Naruto, "He looks like he couldn't even lift that sword out of its sheath!"

He pointedly ignored the eyes trying to bore a hole into his skull, all six of them, taking another swig of his sake, "I'm the super bridge builder, Tazuna, and I expect you guys to give me super protection until I complete my bridge!"

o.0.O.O.0.o

As Team Seven left the safety of Konoha's gates, Sasuke and Hinata asked questions about Wave Country (Nami no Kuni). Naruto, who already knew the answers, ignored Kakashi and Tazuna as they gave the other two Genin the information they sought.

Naruto tensed for a second as they passed a puddle in the road. He knew what to expect, and this time, he would be ready. Last time, he may have frozen and got injured, but he had knowledge and experience on his side this time. He wouldn't be felled so easily as before.

He wasn't disappointed. As soon as Kakashi's back was turned to the puddle, two figures rose from it, odd masks strapped to their faces. Their chain was soon wrapped around the gray haired Jounin and pulled taut, shredding him to pieces.

Out of the corner of his eye, Naruto saw Hinata shiver when they laughed, "Heh heh, one down…"

They quickly dashed towards Naruto, who was grasping the hilt of his sword, prepared to strike him, "Two down, heh heh…"

A shuriken thrown by Sasuke forced one of them to slow for a second, allowing Naruto to unsheathe the Masamune. A quick, almost imperceptible slash shattered the chain between the two ninja, giving Naruto another direction in which to dodge. Naruto's moves were smooth and fluid, as he had been taught by his Kenjutsu (swordsmanship) teacher. Even in the heat of battle, his dodge to the left was graceful.

A second flash of steel severed the respirator and the Mist headband from the enemy closest to himself, and Naruto marveled at the strength of his blade. He had not only cut through cloth and plastic, but he had sliced through an iron chain like it was butter.

Using his enemy's surprise to his advantage, Naruto quickly dismantled the claw on Gozu's hand with a third slash of his sword. Then, using butt end of his hilt, he knocked Gozu across the head, rendering him unconscious.

Meizu, the second enemy ninja, made a dash towards Hinata after he dodged Sasuke's shuriken. He was so intent, so focused on what he saw in front of him, that he was unprepared for the harsh kick to the head that knocked him stumbling in Hinata's direction.

Hinata, who had been able to anticipate Sasuke's attack, drove her open palm into Meizu's stomach. With a surprised gasp and a painful grunt, Meizu collapsed onto the girl's shoulder, his body limp and harmless. He was unconscious.

Hinata tried to push his lifeless body off her without flat out dropping him, a disgusted frown on her face, her Byakugan inactive. She found it difficult, his flowing dirty clothes tangling up with her taut, lean limbs and attempting to pull her down with him.

Naruto and Sasuke couldn't help but laugh when she fell backwards, Meizu falling on top of her. It was quite comical, and even Tazuna couldn't help but chuckle. To see sweet little Hinata trying to untangle herself from an enemy she had felled mere minutes before wasn't something you saw everyday. To see Hinata so frustrated was truly a once in a lifetime thing.

Finally, though, Kakashi, who had reappeared shortly after the battle had ended, took pity on the poor girl and pulled Meizu from atop her, laughing quietly.

o.0.O.O.0.o

Naruto remembered the first time he had participated in the Wave mission. He had been wounded, and, upon that wound, he swore he wouldn't run away ever again. He may have been preoccupied by it, but he still heard what Kakashi and Tazuna had talked about. It surprised him, this time, because the conversation (or interrogation) was _identical_ even with all the changes he had made.

As far as Naruto could tell, Kakashi hadn't noticed his eavesdropping, and if he did, he made no mention of it. But as the elite ninja walked over, a distinctly tired look gleamed in his eye. Despite the skill that Team Seven possessed, Kakashi still didn't believe that they were ready for such a hard mission.

"_He's wrong,"_ Naruto thought bitterly. He had been training since day one for the eventual battle between himself and the upper level ninja he would be up against. Zabuza and Haku wouldn't be the greatest challenge, but they would be strong. Gaara would be very difficult, but he still wouldn't match up with Naruto, especially taking into account the Kyubi.

Orochimaru would be the biggest challenge. Naruto might be able to get in a serious wound, because Orochimaru wouldn't be expecting so much skill out of the "dead last" of Konoha Ninja Academy, but the worst of the Legendary Three would most definitely trounce Naruto, despite any help the Kyubi might give.

Naruto, as he was sad to admit, wouldn't be able to pull out the Rasengan until the Chuunin Exam Finals. Then, he would have an alibi. Its name: Jiraiya. Sure, it would be hard to explain to the perverted sage just how he knew the Rasengan step by step, but Naruto was _very_ good at lying.

Kakashi's voice snapped Naruto from his musings, "Well, team, we have a choice. This mission is definitely B-rank, bordering on A-rank at the moment. We have the right to drop the mission and go back to Konoha right now if we want. On the other hand, we could continue the mission, but it'd be hazardous to our health. So which is it?"

Sasuke arched an eyebrow, "Are you crazy, Kakashi-sensei? After we've come this far?"

"I-I'll never back down," Hinata said, glancing at Naruto for support, "That's my nindo."

Kakashi's eye swept over to the blonde ninja, who said, "Do you really have to ask?"

"All right," Kakashi sighed, "We're continuing the mission."

Kakashi pinched the bridge of his nose as he turned around, tuning out the celebratory shouts and cries. _"Even though I have a really bad feeling about this."_

o.0.O.O.0.o

"Thanks for everything," Tazuna whispered as he and Team Seven left the boat. He'd laid off the sake since the encounter with the Chuunin duo.

The ferryman shook his head, "Don't mention it, Tazuna-san."

As they headed down the road to Tazuna's place of residence, they caught sight of the bridge. Sasuke let out a low whistle, "So that's the bridge? Wow."

"I-it's amazing," Hinata said, her eyes wide.

Naruto grinned inwardly. He already knew about the bridge and its size. He'd fought on it after all. And how could he forget such an important part of his ninja career? It was where he fought his first major battle, and it was the first time he came close to facing a decisive loss.

A thick fog rolled in as the group followed the dirt path to the little town in Wave Country, hiding the trees and bushes in a translucent haze. The wind was calm, and the only sounds heard were the soft _clap-clap_ of the group's feet on the ground.

Sasuke was the one to toss the Kunai this time, and Hinata had promptly whacked him on the head for nearly killing a "poor, harmless little bunny". Naruto had to stifle a laugh. Hinata was usually quiet and withdrawn whenever Naruto was near, and tried to be the best she could be. It was a change in pace to see her upset about something that seemed so trivial.

The entire group suddenly ducked, Kakashi pulling Tazuna down with him, and the other three dropping to the ground on their own. A large Zanbatou, nicknamed Kubikiri Houcho (Neck-cleaving Kitchen knife) flew over their heads, embedding in a tree. As Tazuna and his entourage rose, a figure could be seen standing on the huge sword's hilt, his back to them.

"Momochi Zabuza," Kakashi hissed, hand flying to his headband. "Jounin of the Bloody Mist."

"Heh heh, you appear to be Sharingan Kakashi," Zabuza said, chuckling evilly. "Sorry, but the old man is mine!"

"You'll have to get through me first!" Kakashi growled, yanking his hitai-ate skyward, revealing the coveted Sharingan eye.

"The Sharingan so soon?" Zabuza cackled maliciously. "It is an honor!"

Zabuza and his sword disappeared and the fog began to thicken. Kakashi backed his group into a circle around Tazuna. "Surround and protect the bridge builder, he's way out of your league!"

"Time to even the odds," Naruto muttered, slipping his weights into his backpack and dropping it. He was careful to set it down lightly; no need to draw attention to himself. His right hand held the hilt of Masamune, his left grasping the top of the sheath. His knees were bent, and his eyes blazing with the Sharingan. He was ready for the Sou Ryuu Sen, the Twin Dragon Strike.

To his left, Sasuke stood, his eyes alight with the Sharingan as well. He held a kunai in front of his torso, grasping it with both hands. His gaze darted around; no doubt, he was having just as much trouble seeing through the mist as Naruto and Kakashi.

"Damn it," he whispered hotly. "Where is he?"

There was a sudden flash of sound from behind them, and Naruto had a good idea what it was. Hinata gasped, her Byakugan picking up on something they couldn't quite see.

"N-Naruto-kun! Sasuke-san! He's— !" she was interrupted by a voice from directly behind them, near Tazuna.

"Heh heh heh, right here!"

Naruto spun on his right heel, chanting to himself, _"Hiten Mitsurugi Ryū…"_

With a flare of speed, Masamune flew from its sheath, aimed to slice Zabuza's head from his neck. Kubikiri Houcho was brought to bare, blocking the potentially lethal blow. Zabuza was smug.

"Heh heh, nice try, kid."

Zabuza's eyes widened as Masamune's sheath came at him, colliding solidly with his arm, just beneath his right shoulder. He sucked in a breath of air, surprise written across his face.

"Gaauuaaahh!"

_"…Sou Ryuu Sen!"_

Grasping his shoulder with his left hand, Zabuza dropped his Zanbatou, lashing out with a kick to Naruto's midsection. Naruto, who had expected Zabuza to burst into water, soared backwards, landing on his rear end a few yards away.

Sasuke, who had attempted to tackle the missing ninja, and Hinata, who had tried to incapacitate him with a Juken strike, were both tossed aside like rag dolls. They were no match for the Demon of the Bloody Mist.

Naruto's head shot up when he heard Zabuza gasp again. Naruto's eyes widened. Kakashi stood behind Zabuza, a kunai stuck in the tan man's lower back. Water slowly flowed over the black metal, dripping to the hard ground. Suddenly, Zabuza exploded into water, splashing Kakashi's front.

A second Zabuza materialized behind the leaf ninja, his sword prepared to swing around and cleave Kakashi in two.

"Kakashi-sensei!" the three Genin yelled.

SPURASH! Zabuza's sword cut Kakashi in half. Blood, bone, and flesh soon disappeared, replaced with a familiar clear-ish liquid. The Kakashi clone had reverted to water.

Cold steel pressed against Zabuza's jugular. Another Kakashi stood behind him, Sharingan whirling, "It's over."

Silence reigned for a few seconds, then Zabuza started laughing, "'It's over?' Ha! You're right, Kakashi, it's over!"

SPURASH! Zabuza melted into a puddle, nothing more than liquid. Kakashi's eyes widened. A third Zabuza advanced upon Kakashi from behind, poised to swing his large blade. Kakashi ducked. But Zabuza seemed prepared for that. Using the momentum of his swing, he dug his sword into the ground, landing a roundhouse kick to Kakashi's jaw.

The silver haired Jounin flew into the lake, soaked to the marrow. Zabuza was soon standing above him, making hand seals, "Suirou no Jutsu!"

A sphere of water rose up, surrounding Kakashi and trapping him in Zabuza's grasp. Using his free hand, Zabuza made a seal, "Now to take care of those brats! Mizu Bunshin no Jutsu!"

From the puddles of its predecessors, a Water Clone rose, no different than the real thing. It smirked at the Genin, chuckling, "You little punks don't know what it means to be Shinobi!"

It was cut off as a black and gray blur came charging towards it.

CLANG! KURUSHHIIING! Masamune and Kubikiri Houcho clashed, sparks flying from their surfaces.

KURAUNG! Neither Naruto nor Zabuza's clone seemed to be able to get in a solid hit, too evenly matched.

SWOOSH! The clone's sword cut through air, uninhibited by flesh or steel. Naruto had disappeared.

"Hiten Mitsurugi Ryū!"

Everyone looked up to see Naruto descend upon the clone, his sword's hand guard parallel to the ground. The clone could do nothing to prevent the sharpened metal from sinking through his skull.

"Ryuu Tsui Sen-Zan!"

With a jerk, Naruto pulled his sword free and jumped back, watching as the clone dispersed into water again. Even the real Zabuza would have been hard pressed to dodge such a surprising attack.

Naruto's blazing red eyes turned to the tan shinobi standing in the middle of the lake. In a flash, Naruto was gone again, dashing towards the captor of his sensei. His moist sword glistened in the small amount of light visible through the mist.

As the blonde came upon him, Zabuza jumped a slight bit backward to give himself some room. In a flash of gray, Zabuza's Zanbatou was pulled from his back, swinging down to meet Naruto's Masamune.

KLANG! SHHHHURRAAASHING! The two swordsman clashed, attempting to push one another back. Naruto was putting up a good fight, but Zabuza, with his superior skill and bigger, heavier sword, was gaining an advantage.

SHHIING! Naruto pulled his sword from the introverted tug of war, dashing out of the path of Kubikiri Houcho. Naruto was breathing heavily, but Zabuza seemed only slightly strained.

Using his Sharingan to predict Zabuza's next move, Naruto bent backwards under the thick gray blade. Taking his chance, Naruto stabbed at the opening in Zabuza's guard, landing a painful, but shallow cut on the missing nin's left thigh.

Zabuza cried out, back-fisting Naruto across the cheek. He flew sideways, landing headfirst against a tree at the shore. He was definitely unconscious.

Zabuza's sword rose again, and he dashed towards Naruto's unmoving body. He snarled, "You little brat!"

WHAM! A roundhouse kick landed in his jaw, knocking him backward into a nearby tree. Kakashi stood, a glare fixed on his face, "Don't forget. I'm your opponent!"

o.0.O.O.0.o

"**Brat,"** without even looking straight at the beast, Naruto could tell that Kyubi was upset. **"You're not going to loose to that weakling, are you? Even with all the training you did?"**

"He's a Jounin," even as the words left his lips, Naruto knew he was just making excuses. "He's a lot stronger than me!"

Kyubi snorted, **"That's bull."**

Naruto sighed, "So what do you want me to do? Kakashi-sensei can handle it."

"**There are so many things I could say to that," **the beast grinned. Its eyes gleamed maliciously. **"But I'll make it simple. Kick his ass!"**

Naruto reeled back. He hadn't been expecting that, Kyubi was usually somewhat calm and regal. He'd never heard it speak such vulgarities.

"I can't!" he said. "I'm trying to keep most things in the same time flow! If I don't, my memories of the future will become useless and obsolete!"

Kyubi blinked, **"Future memories? What are you talking about?"**

Naruto gaped at him, his eyes wide, "What? You mean you don't know? I thought you would! You're the one who sent me back in the first place!"

"**Oh really?"** it asked, snarling. **"And why would I send ****you back in time? What purpose would it serve ME?"**

"We were dying, fool!" Naruto hissed. "I made a stupid mistake that cost me my life! I trusted someone to follow the same moral rules I did! And guess what? It cost us our mortality!"

"**Then what happened to_ me_?" **it roared, obviously furious that the boy had survived and he, apparently, had not.

"I shattered the seal!" Naruto yelled back. It was time to vent all his frustrations. "You promised to activate my bloodline and send me back as soon as the seal was broken! Why? Because, either way, you were going to die! The only way to stop it was to prevent it! And how did you do that? You sent me back in time so that I could stop that day from happening! But if certain events change too drastically, then I'll be stuck without any knowledge of what is to come!"

"**Then I'll send you back again! I don't care how many times you travel through time, you will not loose to a second rate fighter!"** it shouted back. **"I don't care! Just get out there and fight!"**

"NO!" Naruto said, glaring furiously at the caged beast.

The beast glowered at him, **"Then I'll ****force you!"**

Red chakra flooded from beneath the barred gates, engulfing Naruto wholly.

"Gaaaaaaaaah!"

o.0.O.O.0.o

"Suiton!" Zabuza and Kakashi said together. "Suiryuu —"

The masses of water that had begun to form loose, draconian shapes suddenly splashed back down into the lake, destroyed by a lack of concentration. No one paid any notice, though. No, everyone's focus was on the figure by the lake edge, who was surrounded in an angry red chakra aura.

The aura shifted and twisted, morphing into a humanoid, fox-shape. Two tails protruded from the cloud of energy, swaying as though they were real appendages.

"**Rrrrraaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahh!**"

The chakra surrounding Naruto's fists suddenly contorted, changing form and nature. His right hand was engulfed in red flames that licked his skin but caused no damage to Naruto at all. Hinata immediately turned off her Byakugan, the intensity of the attack too much for her sensitive eyes.

_Ba–chi–chi–chi–chi–chi_! Kakashi gasped as the chakra around Naruto's left hand shifted into the form of red electricity, a mimicry of his own Raikiri. But this one, from what Kakashi could discern, was much more powerful and dangerous. And louder, too.

Naruto, even if only instinctively, knew he could not show anything that would make him seem suspicious. The Chidori and his own Jutsu could be explained as things he picked up with the Sharingan, but things like the Rasengan were too impossible for him to have learned with the circumstances surrounding him and his development.

"**Grraaaaaaaauuuaaaaaaaaaaaaahh!**"

One of the translucent tails grasped the hilt of Masamune, tugging it from the tree. With a fluid move, it flung the moisture still clinging to the blade into the air. Then, with flourish, it moved the Masamune back into its sheath.

With speed Kakashi could barely track, Naruto was in front of Zabuza, eyes whirling with the Sharingan. Before the mist ninja had a chance to fight back, Naruto's closed right fist came crashing into his bare chest, scorching it.

Flames exploded over Zabuza's torso, leaving painful burns over his chest and stomach. He stumbled backwards, clawing at his charred skin. "Gaaaaah!"

"**Grruuuuuuaaahk!**"

Red electricity soon replaced the fire, leaving Naruto with two supercharged hands. With that amazing speed he had demonstrated seconds ago, he was on top of Zabuza again, making clawed swipes at the tan shinobi, fingers alight with lightning.

A wide but shallow gash drew itself along Zabuza's stomach, adding another injury for him to worry about. Zabuza was in too much pain to fully concentrate on dodging the dangerous attacks being thrown at him, giving Naruto a lethal advantage over him.

Kakashi, Hinata, Sasuke, and Tazuna could only stare in amazement as the same boy who had trouble keeping up with the wayward shinobi a few minutes ago was delivering a crushing defeat to the Demon of the Mist; a Jounin enemy who even Kakashi had a bit of trouble with.

A sloppy dodge of Zabuza's left him open to another of Naruto's attacks. A powerful kick landed upon his burned chest, sending him flying into a tree.

"Gah huu!"

In no less than a second, Naruto was upon the motionless man, electrically charged palm reared back, prepared for the final blow. But before he could do such a thing, his head spun around, and he jumped out of the way as two senbon flew towards his helpless victim.

With two dull thuds, the needles embedded themselves in Zabuza's neck, instantly killing him. The electricity gone from his hands, Naruto returned to the corpse, sniffing it to confirm his death. With a growl, Naruto moved away, satisfied that his enemy was no longer among the living.

Naruto's ears seemed to twitch as his head whipped around again, this time followed by his body. His whirling gaze latched onto the Hunter-nin who had thrown the Senbon, wary of this new arrival.

Naruto dropped into a defensive stance as the ninja jumped from his position on tree limb, slowly approaching the dead body of Momochi Zabuza. Naruto growled a warning growl, determined the keep this foreign person from touching his prey.

The Hunter-nin backed up a bit, nervous to be around such an intimidating figure. The growling and demonic chakra were very strong deterrents, coupled with the red Sharingan, long fangs, and thick whiskers, and you had a very scary person. A person that most anyone would want to stay away from.

Naruto was unprepared for the quick chop to the back of his neck, which rendered him unconscious faster than Tazuna could track. The blonde fell forward, caught on the stomach by Kakashi, who had delivered the incapacitating strike.

The hunter-nin cleared his throat nervously, his voice shaky, "Th-thank you. I've b-been looking for the opportunity to kill Zabuza-san for quite a while now."

He picked up the mist ninja's body, hefting it onto his shoulders. He still seemed shaken. "I-I must dispose of this body now. Goodbye."

With a hand seal and a whirlwind, the two of them disappeared, leaving Team Seven and Tazuna standing there, bewildered. Kakashi sighed, pulling his hitai-ate back down over his Sharingan. It had been a very tiring day for him.

As soon as the events had set into their minds, Hinata rushed over to Naruto, checking him for serious injuries and anything abnormal. Sasuke was busy coming to terms with all that had taken place in front of his eyes.

The Hyuga heiress let out a relieved sigh when she could find nothing wrong, other than him being unconscious, and draped his left arm over her shoulders, intent on carrying her most precious person for however long she had to. Hinata wrapped her right arm around his back to support his weight, allowing her more mobility as well. In her own eyes, she was finally being useful to her crush.

Sasuke tried to remind himself that he was still alive by taking deep breaths. He was rattled by what he had witnessed, and, frankly, this new side of Naruto was frightening. He had trouble believing that his best friend could wield so much raw power, and was scared that it would corrupt the blonde. He resolved to ask Naruto what had happened when he felt the time was right. Until then, things would go back to normal for him.

Tazuna was…awed. There were few better ways to describe exactly how he felt. When he had first set eyes on the small, spiky haired boy, he had thought this Naruto kid was a push over. He had feared that the boy would be the weakest link in the Team Seven chain. But after seeing the boy mop the floor with an elite, he knew he was in good hands. So, his heart lighter, he set the pace for the trek to his home.

Kakashi could only lament on the events of the day as Tazuna led them to his home. He had picked apart every detail about the fight and had come to the conclusion that the Kyubi had not been in control of his student. Naruto's movements had been wild and instinctual, his body acting on reflex and impulse alone. The Kyubi would have done much more damage, and the Kyubi would certainly have torn Zabuza's corpse to shreds in its bloodlust. Naruto had done no such thing, having backed off as soon as Zabuza was confirmed to be "dead."

That was another thing on Kakashi's mind. He knew that Zabuza had survived. He didn't do anything because he didn't have enough energy left to tackle a Hunter-nin who was half his age and probably twice as strong. Had he had enough information to assume that the Hunter-nin was Zabuza's accomplice, he would have let Naruto handle the problem. But, until the ninja had left with Zabuza's body intact, Kakashi didn't have enough data to declare the young boy an enemy. Thus, Zabuza and the boy had escaped and fled to fight another day.

Kakashi shook his head. This was why he had quit the ANBU black ops. He had wanted to get away from the tangled web of lies and foul play that had plagued his missions. He had wanted to get away from the two-pronged deceit and the vicious half­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­-truths that could cripple entire nations at a time. It was too tiring and pointless.

_"It seems that bad feeling of mine was not unfounded. I hate it when I'm right."_

o.0.O.O.0.o

**A/N This is not a sequel to ASCTR. This doesn't have anything to do with ASCTR.**

**Taiyoushin Ittou Tansen — Sun God's Single Strike Edge  
Naruto's first original Jutsu (during his second chance, anyway). A sort of mimicry of Kakashi's "Raikiri". Consumes an ungodly amount of chakra. It turns the chakra concentrated to one's fist into hot flames. The user remains unharmed, but anything else that touches it will feel as if they had been stricken by the sun. Thus its name. It is also very much advised that you have the Sharingan as well. If you miss and can't keep Taiyoushin Ittou Tansen active, you're a goner.**

**Sessha— I'm going to steal this little tidbit from Rurouni Kenshin. It means "This unworthy one". Naruto will use it during the beginning of his relationship with Hinata. Since Naruto is the "Bane of Konoha", he will feel he isn't worthy of Hinata's affection.**

**I have heard many arguments against the Naruto/Hinata pairing. I'll address the biggest one right now. Listen up, non-believers, because your reasons for hating Naru/Hina aren't worth jack.**

**The biggest argument about a romantic relationship between Naruto and Hinata is that they're twelve, and that their crushes are just that, infatuations that won't last. Another part of this argument is that they're too young to really fall in love, and that them being married would eventually end in divorce or annulment. The people who present these arguments would have VERY valid points if they were talking about normal teenagers.**

_**But guess what, non-believers. You're not, and neither am I. **_

_**Naruto and Hinata's professions involve danger unlike any we'd see in the modern day and age. These twelve-year-olds are fighting life and death battles nearly everyday. They recover from injuries that would probably cripple a real person for life. They're forced to mature earlier than the rest of the world, an adult in a child's body. One day, they could be fighting together, kicking butt. The next, they could be buried side by side in a cemetery, their names carved on the memorial stone. Relationships might not ALWAYS work out, but it's more of a 50/50 chance than anything. And, when you look at it objectively, aren't all new relationships a shot in the dark?**_

_**So tell me, non-believers, is it so impossible for these child soldiers to have a serious relationship? Take a look at their life expectancy, then think long and hard before telling me.**_

**Updates will be slow for all my stories, due primarily to the new school year.**

**Steadfast, my friends, and good luck.**

**James Daniel Fawkes**

**_James Daniel Fawkes_ (Signature best viewed in _Wendy Medium_ font style)**


	3. Himura's Visit and Zabuza's Return!

**A Simple Change: The Sharingan**

**By: **James Fawkes

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Rurouni Kenshin.**

**Chapter One: Baka Deshi! Himura's Visit and Zabuza's Return!

* * *

**

Hiashi sighed as he watched the setting sun from his personal garden. It had been another trying day, and he was glad that he finally had some measure of peace. Being the head of such a prestigious clan wasn't as easy as it looked to be.

Hanabi was progressing greatly in the art of Juken, and it seemed likely she would surpass her sister quickly. Normally, that would mean that Hinata would be sentenced to the Branch Family, but, because of Hiashi's little arranged marriage for Hinata and Naruto, for the elders to do so would breach a very important Hyuga law AND the Hokage's trust. Hiashi had to smirk at that. He had one-upped the stingy old people on the elder council.

The elders were very angry with Hiashi for betrothing his oldest daughter to the Kyubi's vessel, but they couldn't do anything about it, since the documents were signed and locked away in the Sandaime's office, with duplicate forms in Hiashi's private study. He chuckled as he remembered the obscene threats and curses the elders had thrown at him, only to have their words fall on Hiashi's deaf ears.

Neji, though…

Hiashi felt a weight settle in on his heart, pulling at the strings wound so tightly. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't mend his relationship with his nephew. It was one of the reasons he tried to keep the Branch Family genius away from Hinata as much as possible, so that the boy didn't try to harm her in some sparring match or other. He knew that Neji placed most of the blame for his father's death on Hinata's shoulders, and the fact that Hinata was close friends with Naruto only increased his nephew's loathing for the girl.

There was another thing on Hiashi's mind. Even though it had been roughly seven years since his brother had died, he still missed him, and his heart ached for what had happened. The pain of his wife's death was greater, of course, and no one could really compare to losing the comfort of someone as close as a spouse, but his brother's death plagued him so much because he could have done something about it. Could have prevented his sibling's untimely demise.

_"Leaves from the vine,  
falling to slow."_

Hiashi smiled bitterly as the lyrics rolled off his tongue.

_"Like little, tiny shells,  
drifting in the foam."_

It was something of a lullaby that his mother had sung to him and Hizashi when they were only boys. Now, with most of his precious people gone, this song held a strong sentimental value for him.

_"Brave little soldier boy,  
come marching home.  
Brave soldier boy,  
comes marching home."_

A lone tear fell slowly from his eye, rolling solemnly down his cheek.

_"Seasons come and go,  
passing so slow.  
Like little, tiny shells,  
drifting with the flow."_

Hiashi felt water gather at the edge of his eyes, waiting for his barriers to crumble, so that they might fall freely.

_"Little soldier boy,  
come marching home.  
Brave soldier boy,  
comes marching home…"_

Hiashi collapsed forwards, arms resting on his knees as he sobbed into his sleeves. So long…for so long he had retained a mask of apathy and sternness. Now, in this most private of places, shielded from even the Byakugan, he could drop it. Just for now…

— o.0.O.O.0.o —

As consciousness swept over Naruto, a delicious smell wafted into his nostrils, his nose twitching reflexively. Even before his eyes opened, Naruto could feel his mouth salivating. A growl met his ears, and with a slight bit of embarrassment, Naruto realized it was his stomach.

Slowly, his eyelids lifted, revealing twin sapphire orbs. His gaze traveled and, as Naruto had dreamed for the past few years, Hinata's porcelain skin and lavender eyes were the first things that he saw. A smile twitched across his lips; he felt truly loved.

A smile lit up Hinata's face as she saw his eyelids flutter open, mirroring his own peaceful grin. She only wished that he was waking to her face under less stressful circumstances, but, as her luck would have it, such was not to be. They were in the middle of an A-ranked mission, which meant that things could have been much more peaceful.

But, regardless of what was happening around them, and the circumstances that had placed them where they were, Hinata smiled down at him and said, "Good morning, Naruto-kun."

Gently, Naruto rose, his head pounding. With the pads of his fingers, he massaged the sensitive temples on the sides of his skull. The blow he had taken from Zabuza was taking its toll on him.

With a little help from Hinata, Naruto stood from his comfortable bed, clad in a pair of cotton pajamas that he had packed. Though awake, Naruto still felt very drained, so Hinata had to half-carry him to the breakfast table. Despite this, there was no awkwardness, no embarrassment for either of them…well, except for the obvious feelings one experiences around his or her crush.

Kakashi looked up as they walked in, his eye arching upwards, "Good morning, you two. Nice to see you're up, Naruto."

Naruto nodded, one arm slung over Hinata's shoulders, the other holding the side of his head, "How long was I out for, sensei?"

Kakashi shrugged, buttering his toast, "Only about a day. It's something of a miraculous recovery, seeing how hard you hit that tree."

Naruto nodded again, sitting down in between Hinata and Sasuke. Sasuke tossed him a worried look, but he just shook his head and grinned. Not much could keep Naruto down, regardless of how hard he'd been hit.

"Zabuza's still alive," Kakashi said. Somehow, he had managed to down three pieces of toast without anyone catching the slightest glimpse at what was beneath his mask.

Naruto mumbled an acknowledgement, shoving a large amount of rice into his mouth. He'd figured as much, thanks to the unsatisfied growling coming from the farthest corner of his mind. There was very little else that the Kyubi could be upset about.

"Anyway," Naruto looked up. Kakashi was wiping his masked mouth with a napkin. "Since all of you know the correct chakra exercises, as soon as you're better, Naruto, all three of you will start your own training."

o.0.O.O.0.o —

Despite his fast healing abilities, it was still a few days before Naruto was at his best again. With his chakra restored and the pounding in his head quieted, Kakashi had taken the three Genin out into the woods, where they would begin their training.

"Now," Kakashi stood in the middle of the clearing, hands on his hips. "Let's—"

Kakashi was interrupted by a kunai that whizzed past his head and embedded in the tree next to Naruto. Kakashi's eye was wide, and the rest of the team had their mouths dropped open. None of them had noticed the kunai until it had flown past the gray haired Jounin.

Naruto took the initiative and tugged it from the tree, pulling off the note attached to it. The note said:

_"Come to the next clearing alone. We need to continue your lessons.  
—Himura-shishou"_

Naruto's eyes widened and he crumpled the note, letting his chakra set it on fire. No one else could read this, lest they find something they shouldn't.

"I'm going to go train on my own, sensei," Naruto said, jumping into a tree at the edge of the clearing. "There are some things I need to practice."

Without another word to anyone on his team, he left them, heading in the direction of where the kunai had come from. Why Himura had followed him on his mission was a mystery, but if his shishou was calling, then it would be very near taboo to ignore the man.

It took him nearly half an hour to reach his destination, despite running at his full speed. But he knew it would be worth it. Himura was a great teacher, and his lessons had paid off against Zabuza quite well.

When he landed in the clearing, Himura's back was too him, a bag hung over his shoulder. As soon as Naruto touched the grass, though, his shishou turned around, dropping the bag carelessly. Naruto would usually have had a bit of trouble understanding why, but, as soon as the bag hit the ground, he didn't need to ask. Why?

Because it left a foot and a half deep crater.

Naruto began to sweat a little as he realized that whatever was in the bag was probably for him. And if crater was any indication…Naruto gulped nervously, his mouth suddenly dry and his palms soaked. If the crater was any indication…

Himura seemed to notice Naruto's discomfort, a smirk creeping onto his lips, "Don't worry, baka deshi, the weights in that bag are for you, but you won't be training with them on…at least, not for today."

Naruto let out a relieved sigh, relaxing a bit, "Then what are we doing today, Shishou?"

Himura closed his eyes, his hands clasped together behind his back, "Today, we will be furthering your ability in the Hiten Mitsurugi style of Kenjutsu…"

"But—but," Naruto sputtered. "You just said we wouldn't be training today…!"

"And we're not," Himura interrupted. "But that doesn't mean you won't be learning."

He picked up the bag and tossed it to Naruto, who fell under the unexpected weight. He smirked again as Naruto struggled to lift it. "Take off yours and put those on."

Naruto obeyed, shrugging off his own weights and pulling out…nearly identical bands. The weights Himura had given him were small black bands, no bigger than his forearm. Several different seals were stitched into the fabric, but the thread used to make them was so dark a gray, that one would be hard pressed to notice them. Upon closer inspection, Naruto found something folded into the inside. He pulled it out on each of the two forearm weights and realized that the bands were actually…cloth samurai bracers, no different than the ones Himura wore.

He shot a questioning glance at Himura, who nodded. Naruto apprehensively pulled off the strap-on sleeve and the bandages that covered his arms, slipping the bracers on and looping the small thongs over his middle fingers. They fit perfectly; not too tight, but snug enough that they wouldn't slide up and down as he moved.

Himura went through some hand seals, and suddenly, Naruto face-faulted under the new weight. With no small amount of effort, he stood again, straining to keep his balance.

"Those weights are made heavy by a Nin-Genjutsu hybrid," Himura explained, his expression unchanging. "In order to release this Jutsu, you need only use a certain three-seal combination. Tatsu, Uma, Tora. To reapply the Jutsu, you need only reverse the seal order, and the amount of weight will be determined by the amount of chakra you use. Now, put on the other set."

With difficulty, Naruto picked up the second set, and almost fell down again as he realized that the second set weighed as much as the first set. Still, Naruto wasn't one to give up, and, after about ten minutes, had managed to strap the other set of weights, which were simple bands, onto his shins.

Panting, he looked back at his shishou, "So, will these affect the ground I walk on and inanimate objects?"

Himura shook his head, "As long as they remain on your body, they'll only affect yourself and other people. If you take them off and let them drop to the ground, then they'll affect your surroundings."

Himura sat down on the grass, his legs crossed "Indian" style, "Next, meditation."

Anyone within five hundred yards of that clearing could hear a loud, "WHAT?!"

o.0.O.O.0.o —

Naruto walked sluggishly into Tazuna's house, his feet dragging and his arms drooping. All eyes turned to him, and he gave them a weak grin before he fell flat on his face, too tired to do more than groan.

Hinata was at his side in an instant, trying to lift him from the floor. She found it quite difficult. The extra weight that clung to his arms and legs made him too heavy to carry, and, even with Sasuke helping her, she was very unsuccessful.

With his students unable to pull Naruto from his bed on the wooden floor, Kakashi stepped forward, making a show of pretending to lift his sleeves. With a low grunt, he hefted Naruto into his arms, carrying him to bed.

There was one night that Naruto would never forget, whether it was the original or this new version, which was influenced by his different experiences. He had been slightly surprised that he had been around for it, but some higher power seemed to want him to do certain things. And this particular night appeared to be one of those things.

It was quiet that night. It was that kind of quiet that sneaks up on you before you realize it's there. It was that kind of quiet that makes just want to scream, and pull your hair out. It was that kind of quite that just presses down on you, trying to crush your skull and shatter your ribs.

Sasuke was inhaling his food, desperately seeking energy for the next day's training. Despite his new light-hearted, carefree personality, he still sought revenge against his brother, Itachi. And to take his revenge, he would need strength and skill. The only way to achieve those was to train, so that's what he did.

Kakashi was eating at a slower pace, unconcerned with replenishing lost energy. Several condiment bottles and other objects were set up around him, hiding his face from view. He needn't regain his strength, since the only one of his Genin that could tire him out would be Naruto, the stamina freak. And Naruto trained by himself.

Hinata ate at a subdued pace, shooting worried and admiring glances at the blond sitting to her left. She was worried about him. She knew he wore weights all the time; she did too, thought they were nowhere near as heavy. But Hinata knew that before they left Konoha, Naruto's weights weren't anywhere as heavy as they were when she tried to pick him up that first day after training. If something was wrong…

Naruto's hand rose up shakily, bringing his chopsticks to his lips. His muscles were so sore. Everyday, once he got used to the current weight resting on his limbs, Himura-shishou would increase it quite a bit. Naruto would admit that learning these new techniques was awesome, but the price he paid to learn them was pretty high.

Naruto's gaze traveled around the table, and he noticed, for the first time ever, that most of the food they were eating could be bought on a child's allowance. His brow furrowed, his lips forming a thin line. "Tazuna-san…are things really so bad?"

The bridge builder stared at Naruto, sorrow written on his features, "Yeah…"

The old man sighed, for once looking his age, "Things weren't always so bad. Inari wasn't always so reclusive and cold. Everything was peaceful and pleasant…"

His fist clenched, "Then he came along and ruined it all! If he hadn't set his frigid sights on our little country, things would be great! But he had to ruin it all! He took our money! He took our freedom! He took Inari's father from us!"

The entire Tazuna family froze at his last words, each for their own reason. The old man himself froze because he just realized what he had said. Tsunami froze because she was concerned over Inari. Inari himself froze because the words of his grandfather had caused a pang of anguish and fury to cut through his heart.

The dishes at the table clanged lightly as the young boy slammed his chopsticks down in front of him, his eyes invisible behind his hat. He stood abruptly, his head down and his arms tense at his sides. Without uttering a single word, he turned on his heel and ran from the room, leaving the rest of the people there to look at his retreating back.

Kakashi (with his mask on) turned to Tazuna, "Tazuna-san, what happened?"

Tazuna turned away, a grim, sad look on his face, "It's best you don't know. Suffice to say that Gatou killed the courage and bravery of this village. And in the same day with the same person, Inari lost the most important thing in his life."

Naruto laughed mirthlessly, "At least Inari had a father. Mine died before I could know him."

Seeing his distress, Hinata reached out and squeezed his hand reassuringly. She blushed lightly when he smiled at her and squeezed back.

Standing and bowing, Naruto said, "Excuse me, Tazuna-san, Tsunami-san, I've lost my appetite."

Soundlessly, he left the room, Hinata following him a few short seconds later.

Sighing, Tazuna went back to his food, "I wonder how long it is until they figure it out?"

Chuckling good naturedly, Kakashi said, "It all depends. When will Naruto figure out that Hinata likes him and he likes her back? It might take a while…"

Day after day, for nearly two whole weeks, Naruto showed up looking in similar shape, sometimes with cuts and other times with bruises. Sometimes, he was in good enough shape to eat with everyone else, but, more often than not, he would show up at Tazuna's door tired and aching.

Eventually, the day came when Naruto could not wake up with his team. Kakashi, with Tazuna, Hinata, and Sasuke in tow, left for the bridge, leaving Naruto behind with Tsunami and Inari.

Barely ten minutes later, as the group of four came upon the bridge, a gruesome sight met their eyes. Bodies littered the bridge, bleeding and broken. Machinery was bent and twisted unnaturally, hinting at something more than human being the cause. It was the site…of a massacre.

Splotches and puddles of blood followed the motionless corpses, staining the smooth concrete and dark wood red. Appendages were protruding at odd angles, obviously broken and smashed. Only a monster would be capable of such a thing.

"What the hell?" a thick artificial mist rolled in, even as the words rolled off of Tazuna's tongue. Soon, most of the carnage was obscured.

"Heh, heh, heh," a dark voice chuckled, echoing from within the fog. "Long time no see, Kakashi. I see you still have those brats with you. But it seems the blond one ran away! That's too bad…"

Two figures appeared from the depths of the mist, one tall and imposing, with a huge sword on his back. The other small and compact, a mask hiding his or her features from the world.

"After all," Zabuza said, smirking behind his bandages, "I had a score to settle with him."

— o.0.O.O.0.o —

Naruto awoke to the sound of a crash, jolting from his bed. His was on his feet in an instant, slipping his clothes on as quickly as possible.

"Kyaaaaaaaaaaa!" Tsunami's scream echoed throughout the halls, speeding up Naruto's dressing rate.

"Mom!" Naruto heard Inari cry.

With fervor and amazing agility, Naruto tore Masamune from its sheath and nearly busted the door off its hinges as he left the room. He seemed to fly down the stairs towards the source of trouble.

When Naruto landed in the hallway, he could distinctly hear the two samurai conversing about how many hostages they needed. One of them, the freaky looking one with the eye patch, grinned as his partner confirmed that they could kill the little boy.

In the blink of an eye, Naruto was upon them, his sword carving into the freaky one's flesh. A diagonal wound opened up, starting at the freaky one's (Waraji) right shoulder and ending at his left hip. It wasn't too deep, but it definitely hurt like hell.

Zouri advanced on Naruto from behind, but Naruto's keen senses and speed allowed him the first strike. He twisted around, bringing Masamune across Zouri's stomach. THAT wound was deep, and most definitely fatal. With a solid kick to the injury, Naruto sent the second samurai flying out the kitchen window and into the yard.

Waraji let out a battle cry as he swung his sword. However, like his companion, he was far too slow. Naruto spun around and leaned forward, catching the taller man's chest with his right shoulder. Masamune protruded from Waraji's back, slicing through the doomed man's stomach.

With a sickening squelch, Naruto pulled his blade free and punched the man outside to join his comrade. Blood coated the silvery metal, staining it crimson. With but a twitch of his wrist, the blood flew from his sword, landing on the now messy wooden floor. Then, with a single, fluid motion, Masamune returned to its saya, its sheath.

Naruto turned towards his two witnesses, his face stern. A second later, it disappeared, and a smile broke out onto his lips, "Good job, Inari. You'll make a brave man someday."

His job done, he headed for the door. He would expose of the corpses first. It wouldn't do for Inari or anyone else to see the disemboweled samurai decorating the front lawn. Then, he would head over to the bridge, and maybe he'd be in time to save Haku and Zabuza…

"Naruto-niisan," Inari moved forward shakily. "Wh-where are you going?"

Naruto ruffled Inari's hair the way an older brother or father would, "If you guys were attacked, then the bridge will be, too. My friends will need my help."

Inari nodded. He understood. He could understand now, why this boy was smiling all the time. He could understand why this blond kid was so confident. And now that he understood, he was happy.

"Take care of your mom," with a grin, Naruto disappeared in a flash of black.

— o.0.O.O.0.o —

A series of thuds echoed in Sasuke's ears as senbon rained down on him. Even with his Sharingan, all he could do was dodge, and he found it very frustrating. He was an Uchiha, damn it, he shouldn't be having this much trouble. A sharp whistle fell unto his ears and he jumped out of the way again, managing to miss getting hit by the barrage from behind.

Sasuke growled uncharacteristically, "Bastard!"

"I don't want to kill you," the masked boy's toneless voice echoed hauntingly. "Just give up."

"Damn you!" Sasuke snarled angrily. "Go to Hell!"

"Do Ryuu Sen!" a familiar voice cried.

A few of the mirrors shattered as debris from the bridge smashed into them. A grin lit up Sasuke's face as he caught sight of his savior, and he couldn't help the barb that slipped past his lips.

"You're late."

Naruto grinned back, the tip of Masamune's blade hovering an inch above a crater in the concrete. His eyes were simple azure, and his clothes were definitely in better shape than Sasuke's.

Sasuke's eyes flashed back to his enemy, each crimson orb whirling with two comma patterns. Just because Naruto had arrived didn't mean the masked boy wouldn't capitalize on the distraction it provided.

Naruto dove forward at the mirror prison reformed, landing next to Sasuke. Masamune found its sheath once again, nestled in the delicate wood.

A wave of senbon fell upon the duo, forcing them back. Even with their speed, a few had managed to make nicks and cuts, something that surprised Naruto especially. If he was correct, then Haku was even stronger than last time.

Naruto dearly wished that he could activate his Sharingan, but he couldn't make it known to anyone but his teammates or else Orochimaru would seek him out too. This match was going to be close, he could tell.

His eyes flicked over to Sasuke, who was making hand seals. Naruto flung his hand out to stop the boy, "Wait, Sasuke! That level of Katon won't work on these mirrors!"

Taking his advice, Sasuke halted his seals, moving into another ready stance. Things were not looking too well for the Uchiha cousins, but everything would work out. Naruto just knew it.

Haku took advantage of the distraction, ploughing his shoulder into Naruto's stomach. Naruto, who had been lost in thought, was unprepared to block it. The wind was knocked from his body, and he went flying backwards, landing somewhere near the edge of the ice mirrors.

— o.0.O.O.0.o —

"Sorry, Zabuza," Kakashi said, pulling his hitai-ate up, exposing his Sharingan, "But I have to end this now!"

The ex-mist-nin chuckled, "Sharingan? Is that all you can do, monkey boy?"

Zabuza chuckled darkly, "Hehe, a shinobi's supreme technique is not something that should be showed to the opponent over and over…"

Kakashi interrupted him, "You should feel honored. You're the only person to see it twice. And there definitely won't be a third time."

Zabuza wasn't fazed, "Heh. Even if you beat me, you'll never beat Haku. He's even stronger than I am!"

Kakashi snorted, "There's nothing as boring as a man's bragging."

"Hehehe. I've figured out the trivial system of that eye. Ninpou: Kirigakure no Jutsu!"

— o.0.O.O.0.o —

Sasuke's eyes moved towards his cousin, worry in his gaze. Haku saw this, and took advantage of it. While Naruto was down, he dashed towards the boy, and, just as he planned, Sasuke rushed to intercept his attack.

Naruto's eyes flew open as a loud crack rent the air. He looked around to find Haku on the ground, with Sasuke barely a few feet in front of the blond, standing over him protectively. He was wheezing, and had quite a bit of trouble standing.

Naruto caught Sasuke as he fell backwards, spent.

"M-my cousin," Sasuke's voice was hoarse and scratchy. "My best friend. My brother. Don't die, Naruto. Or I'll kill you."

Naruto slowly set Sasuke down, careful not to add to the damage already in place. He knew Sasuke would be fine, he knew it wouldn't be fatal, just as he knew that he'd find someway to win this battle against this stronger Haku.

Haku rushed towards the blond, catching him off guard, "This is the end!"

"Naruto-kun!"

A sound met Naruto's ears. A sound Naruto never wanted to hear. A sound that tore Naruto apart. A sound that could send Naruto on a killing spree that even Gaara would be jealous of.

A wet squelch sounded as Haku's weapon dragged itself across Hinata's neck, severing a very vital artery. Even as a thousand possible ways to repair the damage crossed his mind, Naruto knew it would never work. For the first time in this second chance of his, Naruto felt his heart stop.

In an instant, he was by her side, forgetting the opening in Haku's defense as the masked boy tried to stand again. To many, Naruto seemed to have used some sort of teleportation. One second, he was next to Sasuke, the next, he was by Hinata's side.

Before she even hit the ground, Naruto had caught her, trying desperately to stem the bleeding. When he realized that he was unsuccessful, he let the tears come, burying his head in the crook of her neck, where the wound was.

"Shhh," he heard her whisper in his ear. "I-I have something to tell you, Naruto-kun."

"Anything," he mumbled into her clothes, his salty tears dripping into the wound and mixing with her blood.

"Aishiteru, Naruto-kun."

Naruto's eyes snapped open and his breath caught in his throat, her words reverberating in his ears. He felt joy and despair mingle in his system, but he was so caught up in the whirlwind of emotions that he didn't hear the hiss of her wound closing and disappearing.

He stood as her breathing slowed, not wanting to have to bare hearing it stop. Rage and hatred soon filled his being, calling for Haku's blood in return for Hinata's. He couldn't find it in himself to care about setting the future right anymore. For him, there was no future without Hinata.

His pulse drummed in his ears as his anger grew, threatening to consume his entire being.

**"I can help you take revenge,"** a deep voice whispered seductively in his ear. **"Just do what I say…"**

Against his better judgement, Naruto found himself making the hand seals the voice had told him to do. He couldn't bring himself to care about it anymore. The only thing that mattered was taking his revenge, and that's what he was going to do.

"Ninpou!" his voice roared, penetrating even the thickness of the mist. "Kuchiyose no Gongen!"

There was silence for a few seconds, then the world disappeared around Naruto, leaving him standing in a black emptiness…

— o.0.O.O.0.o —

The dark expanse seemed to stretch on forever, nothing but emptiness surrounding him. He didn't know where he was, but he sensed a power somewhere deep within this anti-matter space. He wanted that power. He wanted his revenge, and this strange power would let him have it in the sweetest way possible.

The entity of power seemed to hover, as if looking for him, and he suddenly understood what was needed. He pulled the chakra from his body, both his own and the Kyubi's, and shoved it forward, creating a beacon for this entity to find him with.

Three red orbs suddenly appeared from the darkness, glowing as they stared at him. They were in a triangle formation, and seemed to see right into his soul.

"I have found you!" a deep voice echoed, originating from the orbs.

— o.0.O.O.0.o —

The world, which seemed to have stopped as soon as the words left Naruto's mouth, lurched into motion again as red and blue Chakra shot upwards from Naruto's body, creating a giant pillar of light. Everyone shielded his or her eyes.

**"Guuuuuuuh,"** a low growl fell across the bridge.

Kakashi gasped as he gazed at the leviathan that towered over the wood and concrete. There was only one word to describe the…thing that Naruto had summoned. Amazing.

It stood tall, three red orbs for eyes set in a triangular pattern that stared down at Haku. A thin, crescent moon-shaped object was attached to it forehead, the ends of it stopping above where a normal person's ears would be. Its head was round, bereft of everything but the object on its forehead and the three crimson orbs.

Its shoulders were concealed by two pieces of skin or whatever it was that covered the beast. Beneath these pieces of skin were some solid objects, which were actually yellow horns that protruded from the beast's back. Its arms, though long and lanky compared to its body, were scrunched up, and, like most of its body, pitch black. Its fingers were pointed, like claws.

Its legs weren't fully extended, and were probably incapable of doing so. Spikes protruded upwards from its knees, as if protecting the beast's thin torso. It had no feet, and its shins were scrunched much like the arms, ending in points. To top off its frightening look, a sort of cape made of red chakra fell down from its waist and covered the backs and sides of its legs.

**"Grruuuuuuuaaaaaaaah!"** it threw its upper body back, as if stretching after a long nap. Even as heavy as it had to be, it still floated above the water of the river/ocean that ran beneath the bridge.

Haku trembled as it leveled its red gaze at him, leering as best it could without a mouth, nose, eyebrows, or the ability to change its facial expression.

**"Guuuuuu…"**

Kakashi was frightened and surprised. This creature was clearly larger than Gamabunta. Hell, Kakashi was willing to wager it was bigger than the Kyubi, and much more frightening as well. What had been most scary about the demon fox were its size, power, and killing intent. But this creature was topping the demon in all three.

"What the Hell?!" Zabuza shouted.

Tazuna fell backwards, onto his rear. This thing was scaring him beyond what he believed possible. His mind was screaming at him to run, but his body just wouldn't respond. It was like a train wreck. You wanted to look away, but you couldn't, for some reason.

The beast seemed ignorant of everyone but Haku, and slowly lowered its hand, grabbing the boy. Haku struggled against its iron grip, but to no avail. His fate was in the hands of this beast, and things didn't look too great for him. He waited anxiously for the creature to tighten its grip and crush him…

But it never came.

Suddenly, Haku was plummeting for the bridge, his life spared thanks to the diverted attention. With a quick flip and a little chakra, Haku landed safely on the bridge, turning his eyes towards the beast's target. His eyes widened.

Replacing him in the creature's hand was Gatou, his arm broken and his voice screaming desperately. The rogues who had been with Gatou were throwing spears and other weapons at it in an attempt to free their employer, but they were unsuccessful. Nothing pierced the beast's rock hard hide.

There was a sickening crunch, and Gatou's cries suddenly ceased, his body limp. Silence settled over the bridge, the reality of the event much too surreal for most. It was only interrupted as Gatou's body fell into the water with a resounding splash.

With a blinding flash of light, the creature disappeared, leaving Naruto lying prone where he had first summoned the beast. His chakra was spent, and he was too exhausted to stay awake, let alone move. He fell into sleep hoping that he would rejoin his dead love, Hinata.

Kakashi pulled his hitai-ate down, glancing over to Zabuza, who looked somewhere between happy and disappointed. Disappointed, because he wouldn't be getting paid, and happy, because the slime ball known as Gatou was dead.

"Do you want to finish them?" Kakashi asked, gesturing towards the remaining enemies. "Or would you mind sharing? I've got some frustration to vent."

"You're too confident," Zabuza chuckled. "You know just as well as I that we don't have the chakra to take all of them on."

"Hey, hey!" one of the rogues shouted. "You killed our meal ticket! So now it's your fault we have to pillage the little town at the end of this bridge!"

Kakashi and Zabuza moved into battle stances as the group began to stalk forward, towards the tiny village in Wave Country. With their superior numbers, it looked like Gatou's thugs would manage to overcome the ninja and make good on their threat.

An arrow suddenly landed a few feet in front of the "lead" rogue, and every conscious person turned their eyes towards the beginning of the bridge, where it had come from. There, clad in makeshift armor and carrying all sorts of kitchen and farm utensils, such as pitchforks and shovels, were the townspeople, glaring menacingly at Gatou's hired muscle.

The rogues took one more look at the odds, then turned tail and ran back to the boats they had come in. Taking on a few ninja wouldn't be too hard. They'd lose a lot of good men, but they'd have won in the end. But when you add in the people of the town, there was no way that they'd make it out alive.

— o.0.O.O.0.o —

When Naruto woke up, he was glad to find Hinata hovering over him, worried about his well being. After all that had happened, he had thought her to be dead, and that had scared him more than any enemy ever could. He didn't want to think about life without Hinata.

Neither Naruto nor Hinata mentioned the words spoken on the bridge. It wasn't for lack of trying, they just never had the privacy to do so. Tsunami and Inari were always checking up on them to make sure they were okay and that their injuries were healing properly.

Naruto was relieved to find out that, not only were Haku and Zabuza alive, but they would be joining Konoha. They were going home with Team Seven, and they were going to become Leaf nin. They were tired of life on the run.

o.0.O.O.0.o —

Two weeks later…

"It's all thanks to you that we've completed the bridge," Tazuna told Team Seven, ruffling Inari's hair affectionately.

"Thank you for your hospitality, Tazuna-san. My team and I hope to see you at the Chuunin Exams. I'll make sure have an escort sent out for you," Kakashi said, smiling through his mask.

With a single, backward glance, Team Seven and their new companions turned around and left Wave Country, heading home to Konoha. They had gained many new friends on this journey, and they would gain many more.

— o.0.O.O.0.o —

As they headed down the road that would take them home, two members of the Team Seven entourage fell back, so that they could start their long awaited talk.

"Hinata-chan," Naruto said quietly, "Did you…really mean what you said?"

Hinata blushed, poking her index fingers together, "Ano…y-yes."

She blushed a darker red, one that Naruto was sure she had invented upon the spot, "I-I do love you Naruto-kun. W-with all my h-heart."

"Aishiteru, Hinata-chan," Naruto smiled, lacing his fingers with hers, "Sessha wa kansa shiteiru desu. Sore kare wa desu."

Naruto leant over and gave her a peck on the cheek, watching as she turned an even deeper shade of red, "This one is very thankful."

Naruto's gaze drifted towards the sun and his smile widened.

"That he is."

— o.0.O.O.0.o —

Next time…

_Things heat up as Naruto learns what it is he summoned. Uh oh, this just screams "Kyubi"! What secrets is the demon fox hiding from the world? What was the creature that Naruto met, and why did it say "I have found you!"? That's definitely not normal for a summon._

_"Shut up! I'll kill you!" Gaara makes his premiere appearance, too. And it seems Shukaku is uneasy about something. What could that insane raccoon be muttering about? Are his ramblings even credible, or is it just some wild goose chase?_

_Wait, what? A written exam? Ah, shit! That's soooooo boring, though! And what's with Anko? Will Naruto be able to avoid Orochimaru?_

_Next time on A Simple Change: The Sharingan — "_The Terror of Death_"!_

**— o.0.O.O.0.o — **

**A/N This is not a sequel to ASCTR. This doesn't have anything to do with ASCTR.**

**Ninpou: Kuchiyose no Gongen — Ninja Art: Avatar's Summoning — I'll explain this later, when another person displays this ability…like Gaara.**

**Taiyoushin Ittou Tansen — Sun God's Single Strike Edge  
Naruto's first original Jutsu (during his second chance, anyway). A sort of mimicry of Kakashi's "Raikiri". Consumes an ungodly amount of chakra. It turns the chakra concentrated to one's fist into hot flames. The user remains unharmed, but anything else that touches it will feel as if they had been stricken by the sun. Thus its name. It is also very much advised that you have the Sharingan as well. If you miss and can't keep Taiyoushin Ittou Tansen active, you're a goner.**

**Sessha— I'm going to steal this little tidbit from Rurouni Kenshin. It means "This one". It's a very humble way to describe oneself. Naruto will use it during the beginning of his relationship with Hinata. Since Naruto is the "Bane of Konoha", he will feel he isn't worthy of Hinata's affection.**

**Sessha wa kansa shiteiru desu. Sore kare wa desu. — This one is thankful. That he is.**

**Aishiteru — I love you**

**The song Hiashi sings is from Avatar: The Last Airbender. I made an additional verse for it, but the original comes from Avatar, and thus, isn't mine. I make no claim towards the song at all, since it doesn't belong to me. It belongs to the people at Nickelodeon (sp?). **

**Let's see if any of you can guess the name of the creature that Naruto summoned. If you can't figure it out, you'll have to wait till next chapter.**

**Updates will be slow for all my stories, due primarily to the new school year.**

**Steadfast, my friends, and good luck.**

**James Daniel Fawkes**

**_James Daniel Fawkes_ (Signature best viewed in _Wendy Medium_ font style)**


	4. The Terror of Death

**A Simple Change: The Sharingan**

**By:** James D. Fawkes

**Chapter Four: The Terror of Death**

**— o.0.O.O.0.o — **

Naruto wandered through the dark halls of his dreamscape, intent on discovering just what he had summoned back at the bridge. That _creature_, summon, whatever it was, had been like a mindless puppet. He had been in control of its movements and everything, and he wanted to know what had happened.

As such, there was only one being in the universe who could answer his questions, and that being was rude, foul tempered, and hot headed. That being also happened to be a demon fox that towered several stories over his head, making Shukaku seem like a baby duckling by comparison.

"Kyubi!" He called out as he stopped in front of the beast's cage. "I want some answers!"

There was a growl as the beast's crimson eyes focused on him, **"Oh? And what information is it that you seek?"**

"You know why I'm here," Naruto seethed, glaring at the giant fox. His patience was wearing thin. "I want to know _what_ I summoned."

Naruto could hear the fox shuffle around a bit, as if getting comfortable. Then, it spoke, **"I did some digging in your memories, and I came upon your fight with that crazy raccoon, Shukaku."**

Naruto suppressed a shiver. Despite being slightly disturbed by the fact that the beast had been searching through his memories, he pressed on, "Yeah. And?"

What could barely pass for a grin spread across the demons maw, **"I saw that boy, Gaara, bring out the Shukaku's true form. That didn't seem fair to me, that he would have an Avatar, a physical manifestation of Shukaku and his power, but you didn't. And since I myself couldn't become your Avatar, because of the seal, I decided to create one for you."**

The beast's grin widened into a large smirk, **"Thus, Skeith was born. Though he has a conscience, he is merely a manifestation of my power and your iron will. The perfect Avatar, capable of thinking for itself, but completely at your control. It gives you advice and ideas for its own use in combat, and it has special abilities that would blow your mind, but what to do with the power is totally your decision."**

"But," Naruto butted in, "Won't Skeith's conscience war with mine? Since he has infinite energy, he would win eventually, right?"

The beast chuckled, **"The only time Skeith takes over is when you are unable to think and fight coherently. Otherwise, he is completely at your beck and call."**

Naruto eyed the beast warily, "I don't really trust this whole situation, but I don't suppose I have a choice. I'll call on Skeith, but only if I need him."

"**Remember, boy,"** the Kyubi reminded him. **"You need only pull on my youki and call out his name to summon him."**

Without so much as a backward glance, Naruto disappeared. He was done with the beast for the moment, so he had no reason to stay.

"**Stupid brat," **the Kyubi growled, tolerance wearing down. **"That's what I get for saving his vixen?"**

— o.0.O.O.0.o —

A few days later, Naruto and Hinata walked down a narrow path, enclosed by a fence on either side. It was sunny, and the two of them were headed for a lunch date at Ichiraku's Ramen stand, a smile stretched across their faces. It was a Kodak moment, the perfect scene…

But even the perfect scene has interruptions…

Naruto's nose twitched as he caught a familiar scent, one that he just recently started to associate with his littlest pain in the neck. With a barely perceptible jerk, he motioned at the rectangular box following them. Hinata seemed to understand, winking at him, like they were sharing some secret. She giggled lightly.

As they walked by a tree, Naruto reached out and plucked two apples from its branches. He had plans for these two objects. They were just the right size for what he was going to use them for, and, as he handed one to Hinata, he whispered his idea into her ear. Their stalkers had _no _chance.

She giggled again and took a bite, chewing on it with a smile decorating her lips. Naruto grinned and took a large bite of his apple, swallowing it in one big gulp. He laughed, showing off bits of apple stuck between his teeth. Hinata was sent into a giggling fit, unable to stop herself from finding the picture amusing. It was still a few minutes before she told him what she had found so funny.

Their apples were quickly stripped of all the good portions, nothing left but the cores and seeds. With a bit of planned carelessness, the apple cores were tossed aside, landing soundly on the square 'rock' with a soft thud. Hinata giggled as a few yelps escaped their target.

Naruto chuckled and twisted around, putting his hands on his hips, "You can come out now, Konohamaru."

There was a small explosion, forcing the box upwards. The plume of smoke that was left over quickly dissipated, revealing three miniature forms wearing black goggles. One, Naruto recognized as Konohamaru, the Sandaime's Academy student grandson, and the other two could only be his friends, Moegi and Udon.

Konohamaru really hadn't changed since the first time Naruto had ever met him. He was still a little boy seeking attention that he himself had earned, and had stumbled upon Naruto, who, in his original life, had been doing much the same thing. He was still less than half Naruto's size, and still looked up to the blonde. He still had that childish seriousness that made Hinata giggle every time she saw him. And he still wore goggles identical to the ones Naruto had worn in his past.

But there was _one_ change in the Third Hokage's grandson, and it was a change Naruto absolutely loathed.

The boy visited him almost everyday, begging him to "play ninja, Niisan!" Somehow, Naruto found he couldn't resist the kid's puppy eyes. It was almost like the perfect technique. Anyone with a soul would give in. Naruto had to wonder if Sandaime went through something similar, and laughed as he imagined the old man frowning as he gave in to whatever bizarre request his grandson had made.

After coughing the fumes from his lungs, Konohamaru straightened, pointing at Naruto, "You promised to play ninja with us today, Niisan!"

Naruto rubbed his chin, then a small smirk crept across his face. A little chakra and six hand seals later, his weights were considerably lighter, and he figured he'd have little trouble with the stunt he was about to pull. It really was kind of cruel, to trick the three kids like he was about to, but they needed to learn just how strong ninja could be.

"Tell you what, Konohamaru," Naruto told the boy, "I don't have much time, so we only get to play two games."

Naruto tossed a kunai about halfway down the alley, watching as it sank into the earth, nothing but a dot on the horizon. He grinned with satisfaction.

"In this first game," he said, pointing to the knife he'd just thrown. "The object of it is for you to make it to that kunai before I tag you. I'll give you five seconds head start. Ready?" When Konohamaru nodded, he shouted, "Go!"

The three kids took off in a hurry for kunai, thinking they could easily win. They had five seconds head start, how could Naruto catch up with them after that? They really should have figured something was up.

"Five," Naruto finished his count down, slightly impressed that his 'otouto' had come very close to winning. In a blur, though, he was gone, disappeared from Hinata's side.

Konohamaru and his friends suddenly skidded to a stop as an object appeared in front of them, blocking their path. None of them had even _seen_ whatever it was until it had stopped. The object quickly reached out with very human fingers and flicked the scarf-wearing boy's nose.

"Gotcha," Naruto said, grinning down at him.

"Wow, Niisan!" Konohamaru was awed. Naruto's super speed was something new to the little boy. "Now the next game! Come on!"

With shouts and yips of delight and merriment, Konohamaru ran down the alley, laughing happily. Naruto followed at a light jog, not really trying to keep up. He'd let Konohamaru have his fun. After all, you were only young once.

"Ow!"

Konohamaru had collided with a boy not that much taller than Naruto, wearing a black jumpsuit of some sort, a hood possessing catlike ears fit snug around his head. Kabuki-style paint decorated his face, making him seem like some kind of actor. A bandaged bulge was slung over his shoulder, a mop of brown "hair" sticking out of it. Naruto recognized him as Kankuro, Gaara's older brother, and a master of puppetry.

"That hurt!" Kankuro lifted Konohamaru up by his scarf, holding the small boy eye level. He scowled, growling angrily at the Sandaime's grandson.

"Don't," a blonde girl, who Naruto's memories identified as Temari, warned her brother. She wore the standard fishnet body suit and some type of lavender colored robe. It could have been much more conservative, that much the blonde leaf nin was sure of. "We'll get in trouble later."

"Let the boy go," Naruto's hand immediately flew towards Masamune's hilt, only to find nothing but thin air. Naruto cursed under his breath, he'd forgotten that he'd left it at home. What lousy timing his forgetfulness had.

"Let's play a little before the boss comes," Kankuro laughed, a malicious grin on his face. He'd longed to do this, and would gladly switch Konohamaru for Gaara if he thought he could survive it. Gaara would kill him before he got one shot in.

Kankuro smirked, one of his knuckles cracking as he clenched his left fist, "Basically, I hate midgets. Especially the younger ones that are rude…makes me want to kill them."

Naruto's chakra flared, his desire for Masamune intensifying. He knew the perfect way to embarrass Kankuro, but he needed his katana, scratch that, _a_ katana, to make it work. Without a sword, his Kenjutsu skill was worthless.

A feeling suddenly made itself known in his right hand, and, with his Sharingan, he peered down at it. Invisible chakra was gathering in his palm, roughly shaped like a katana, but his Sharingan saw it clearly. Glancing back up at Kankuro, he wondered if he was right and his idea would work.

"_Use it,_" Skeith's voice whispered, and Naruto had to hide a grin. He knew _exactly_ what was going on now, and he wasn't going to waste this new opportunity.

Kankuro pulled his hand back, smirking, "Well, after this one, I'll take care of those other midgets!"

Naruto brought his hand up, watching with his normal eyes as the chakra in his hand morphed into a familiar sword. He brought it down to the ground, hitting the solid earth and forcing a few chunks of it at Kankuro, "Do Ryuu Sen!" (Earth Dragon Flash)

Kankuro flew backwards as the blocks of rock and soil collided with him, dropping Konohamaru the moment they made contact. He rocketed past Temari, landing a few yards behind her, moaning as he tried to stand. He found it quite difficult.

Konohamaru stood up and rushed behind Naruto, hiding behind the blonde's leg. He was shivering. Naruto clenched his hand, and with a flare of chakra, the sword disappeared again, back to Naruto's apartment. He'd figure out the dynamics of what had gone on later.

Naruto leveled a glare at Kankuro, "See, that's all you older people do is underestimate me. It's not a very wise practice, especially where I'm concerned."

Naruto allowed a bit of youki to travel to his eyes, grinning slightly when Temari flinched, "It might cost you more than you're willing to pay."

A large amount of controlled killing intent flared up and Naruto tensed, sensing a very familiar presence amongst the muffled bloodlust. He knew who it was, would recognize that feeling anywhere. It had scared him out of his brains in the Chuunin Exams, but it held nothing over him after he had felt Orochimaru's desire for his blood.

Naruto turned around, catching sight of the redhead, Gaara, who stood upside down on the tree behind him. Shukaku's vessel, though he looked at his siblings, was concentrated on the blonde that had trounced the puppet user. Naruto felt his lips twitch; he'd been expecting the gourd carrying boy, though the killing intent was a revealed a little early.

"Kankuro," Gaara, though his attention seemed to be totally centered on his brother, was definitely focused on Naruto. "You're an embarrassment to our village…"

Kankuro shivered, pleading with his demonic sibling to understand, "Listen, Gaara, they started it!"

"Shut up," Gaara growled, his lenient patience gone. "Or I'll kill you!"

Kankuro seemed to shrink in upon himself, "Okay, Gaara. I-I'm sorry."

The redhead turned his icy teal gaze towards Naruto, "Sorry to you guys."

In a whirl of sand, he was gone from the tree, reappearing on the ground in front of Temari and Kankuro, "It looks like we got here early; the Chuunin Exams haven't started yet."

"So," Naruto interrupted the conversation, or monologue, depending on how you looked at it. "Are you guys here for the Chuunin Exams?"

Gaara nodded, arms crossed in front of his chest, "Yes."

"Uzumaki Naruto," Naruto said, introducing himself. He would take the initiative this time. There was no Sasuke around to break the ice.

"Sabaku no Gaara," Gaara replied, strangely courteous. "I want to fight you, Uzumaki-san."

"So do I," Naruto told him, then he grinned, "Especially if Shukaku-kun comes out to play. Skeith would have a lot of fun."

Naruto noticed a red tint to the whites of Gaara's eyes as the Sand trio left, no doubt to prevent an incident. He squeezed Hinata's hand reassuringly, smiling as they continued their trip to Ichiraku's. What he'd done probably wasn't very smart, but he'd done stupider things.

It didn't take them long to reach the ramen stand, and Naruto had to grin as he caught sight of familiar black hair in a familiar style sitting in one of the stools. He'd almost wondered if he'd go without seeing his only cousin for the whole day.

"Hey, Sasuke!"

Hinata and Naruto sat down and ordered as Sasuke quickly ate his ramen, though it was nowhere near as fast as Naruto when he was hungry. It seemed that, despite living with the blonde for nearly six years, Sasuke still retained some of his Uchiha manners. That, and he didn't have a bottomless stomach and a hollow leg.

"I'll have a chicken ramen," Naruto told the old man, slapping down some money.

"Ano…I'll have the same," Hinata said, seated comfortably next to Naruto.

Sitting there, joking with Sasuke and romancing with Hinata, Naruto came to a realization. He liked this second chance of his, no matter how strange it was. Things were different, for the better. Hinata was confident in herself and now his girlfriend. She was stronger, and he doubted she'd lose to Neji again. Sasuke wasn't so obsessed with his revenge, and, with Naruto to help him, his Sharingan was more advanced. Haku and Zabuza were alive and a part of Konoha. Everything was good.

Naruto came to a singular conclusion. He liked things how they were now, and he wouldn't change it a bit.

o.0.O.O.0.o —

They had been waiting for nearly three hours now.

Sasuke, Naruto, and Hinata were leaning against the railing of the bridge that the usually met at. Everyday, they got up at eight in the morning to train with their sensei, and every morning it was the same thing.

They'd get there, wait a few hours, usually three or four, then Kakashi would show up and tell them what choir or menial task they'd be doing for the day. It was almost a routine, for him to be so late and then pop some stupid mission up on them. And it was _always_ boring, no matter what anyone said.

They'd been waiting particularly long that day. All of them had gotten up early because Kakashi had said there was something important he had to tell them about. Hell, Naruto even got a new alarm clock to make sure he was at least on time, since he figured he might know what it was Kakashi was going to say. They'd all expected the Copy Ninja, Hatake Kakashi, to be on time to an important meeting.

After about a year of training with Kakashi, both in his original life and in his second chance, Naruto really should have had something figured out by then.

Kakashi was always late. NO EXCEPTIONS.

Naruto sighed, rubbing the pad of his thumb over the back of Hinata's forearm. She was leaning up against him, sleeping soundly on top of his chest, his arms holding her still so she wouldn't fall. He'd seen her eyes drooping about an hour ago and offered himself to be her pillow. Besides, he liked the feeling of warmth that being close to her brought him.

Naruto glared as a poof of smoke announced Kakashi's arrival on top of the arch standing over the bridge. With a scowl, he hissed, "You're late."

Nudging Hinata awake, Naruto's angry gaze never left Kakashi, pinning him down with a cold stare. As Hinata's eyes cracked open, Kakashi seemed oblivious of the blonde's ire, even going so far as to casually flip the page in his book.

"Well," Kakashi drawled, eyes never leaving his page, "It seems I've found you all in a good mood."

Sasuke held back a snarl.

"I've got some good news," the gray-haired Jounin continued on, ignoring the fierce glares he was on the receiving end of. "I've nominated you three for the Chuunin Exams. It's up to you if you want to go…"

He produced three tickets, handing one each to his students, "That's all for today. Hand them in at room 301 in the Academy tomorrow. Ja ne."

In a plume of smoke, he disappeared again.

o.0.O.O.0.o —

Hinata walked into her clan's infamous mansion, kicking her sandals off at the door. Absentmindedly, she followed the maze of halls towards her room, having plenty of practice in such a thing. She'd done so everyday for nearly six years, and there weren't any new additions to the Hyuga Compound that would confuse her.

"Hinata," Hinata paused in front of her father's office, reflexively looking towards the source. Her father gestured for her to come in, sitting at his desk in his personal study with the door slightly ajar. "We have something to talk about. Something important."

Her instincts screaming at her to run, Hinata walked delicately into the sunlit room, tense and ready to flee. Quietly, she closed the door behind her at her father's soft command, sitting down. Despite knowing that he wouldn't hurt her or yell at her, her knuckles were white as she gripped the hazel wooden arms of her chair nervously.

"I am well aware," Hiashi started, his eyes closed and his hands folded in front of his mouth, "that you want to become a medic Nin, and that you have no desire to be the heir. As you are aware, refusing to be the heir means you would be put into the branch family."

Hinata felt dread slid down her throat like ice, landing roughly in her stomach. She felt she knew where this conversation was going, and she didn't like the idea of the choices being presented to her.

"However," Hiashi continued, his eyes focused on his daughter, "I have done something to prevent this…problem. And, if my calculations are right and I know you as well as I tend to think I do, you will find my solution most satisfactory."

Hinata bit her lip, thousands of possibilities running through her mind in just a span of a few seconds. Her grip on the chair's arms tightened, and her knuckles were white as bone. There were very few solutions to the issue that her father had informed her she faced. Most of those solutions weren't very satisfactory, at least, in her opinion.

"Y-yes, F-Father?" Hinata asked meekly. As much as she dreaded the answer, she needed to know what to expect.

"There are very few things I could accomplish in regards to this situation without the elders trying to interfere," her father told her. "Setting up a marriage for you is the most favorable answer, and, as such, that is exactly what I did."

"W-with who?" despite the depression and sadness building in her bones, Hinata still wanted to know what clan prodigy she would be stuck with. It wouldn't be the same as marrying Naruto, but…

"Don't look so down, Musume," a light smirk crossed Hiashi's face, as if he was privy to some information she was not. "You are already very close to the man that has been chosen for you. In fact, I'm quite sure you'll be happy with this arrangement of mine once you find out who it is. You two have been dating for a few weeks, after all."

Hinata felt her mouth fall open slightly, "Y-you mean…?"

"Yes," her father said. "The man you are to marry is none other than Uzumaki Naruto. I'll leave it up to you to inform him of this joyous occasion."

— o.0.O.O.0.o —

A day later, outside the Academy where the Chuunin Exams started…

As Naruto, Hinata, and Sasuke reached the second floor, two kids a few years older than them were blocking the entrance to the first exam. Two other Genin, who seemed to be only a year older than Naruto, were knocked backwards. One of the Genin blocking the way chuckled, "We're just thinning out those that will fail anyway. What's wrong with that?"

Sasuke smirked, rubbing his chin thoughtfully, "That may be a good idea, but…"

Naruto grinned a feral grin, "Take that Genjutsu down. We're going to room three-oh-one, not two-oh-one."

The air around the room's label shimmered as the Genjutsu dissolved, changing from "301" to "201". The first "guard" smirked, "Not bad. But all you did was see through it!"

He rushed Sasuke, sending a roundhouse kick to the Uchiha's face. Sasuke responded in turn with a kick of his own.

A large blur appeared between them, grabbing hold of both their legs. Two Genin had interrupted the fight. Lee was the first, his hands held fast to Sasuke and the "guard's" shins. Standing next to the guard was Naruto, Masamune held to the boy's neck threateningly, his other hand on its sheath. He had his own impression to make.

As the four of them returned to neutral stances, Naruto sheathed his sword with a soft '_clink_'. He was wearing different clothing now, something he happened to like quite a bit. Around his shoulders and hiding a small part of his chin and all of his neck was a white scarf that seemed to be missing its ends, since they were nowhere to be seen. It all looked like one endless object that just continued around in a circle.

A hood-less zip up, cloth jacket, light and comfortable in the hottest of weather, covered his torso. The sleeves were a light gray, contrasting to the white of the scarf and the black of the rest of the jacket. Two small white strips of cloth that went down either side of the zipper stood out in the pitch darkness. The kanji, shi, for "Death" was stitched in white silk on the upper left side of the jacket's front.

A thin white sash that most samurai wore, identified as a dougi obi, was tied around his waist, holding his sword. He'd brought Masamune along, since he was unsure of how well this new technique Skeith had given him worked. It could only add to the mesmerizing look generated by the contrast of colors in his clothing.

Black cargo pants, nearly identical to Gaara's, protected his legs. The only things that were different were the bandages that started nearly two thirds of the way down his shins. They were black instead of white. Three kunai pouches were attached to his obi in the back, carefully arranged so as to not interfere with his sword. His sandals, like always, were black.

— o.0.O.O.0.o —

"…I want to fight you, Sasuke-san!" Lee stood in his ready pose, looking much like a miniature clone of Maito Gai with the green spandex he wore. Naruto thanked God and whoever else lived in the heavens that the spandex wasn't as tight in certain key spots. He could go his entire life without seeing something like that, and he expected, judging by how sick looking her face was, that Hinata could too.

"To prove that a genius of hard work, like myself, can beat a clan prodigy like you!" A fire seemed to blaze in Lee's onyx eyes, his face set in determination. This was the kind of thing he lived for, Naruto knew, and he wouldn't give up.

"W-wait a minute!" everyone looked to Hinata, who had thrown her arms out to stop the oncoming battle. "W-we don't have t-time to do something like that! The Ch-Chuunin Exam will be starting any minute now!"

Lee looked over to the clock and nodded grimly, "It appears that Hinata-sama is correct. But we shall fight someday, Sasuke-san! And I look forward to that day!"

In a blur, Lee was gone again, leaving Team Seven to stare at the space he had previously occupied. Sasuke shook his head, "What a weirdo."

"He may be weird," Naruto told him. "But he's one hell of a Taijutsu expert. His sense of fashion could use a bit of training, though."

"Ano…Naruto-kun, Sasuke-kun," Hinata said, pointing towards the clock. "W-we don't have time for this! We need to head to the Chuunin Exams!"

With haste born of necessity, the three of them leapt up the stairs, and onward to the Chuunin Selection Exams.

— o.0.O.O.0.o —

Naruto tensed as they walked through the large double doors, trying to calm his temper as he realized they'd be meeting Kabuto very soon. He'd have to restrain himself pretty well to keep his cool around the traitor. The betrayal of the imposter Genin had struck Naruto hard, but he wouldn't let himself get attached to the treacherous gray-haired nin this time.

No sooner had they walked through the double doors than a rabid blonde girl latched onto Sasuke's arm, rubbing her face against his biceps. Naruto would swear that it was impossible to run that fast, "Sasuke-kun! You're late, Sasuke-kun!"

Naruto suppressed a shudder as the girl hung off his cousin's shoulder, whispering in his ear. She had a ridiculous grin on her face that many found creepy, and Naruto had to shut his eyes, "It's been a while, so I've been waiting in excitement!"

"You guys are taking this exam thing too? Man, this is _so_ troublesome," Naruto recognized the voice. It belonged to a _true_ genius. Turning, he caught sight of Nara Shikamaru's distinct, pineapple shaped hair and the obese form of the Nara's best friend, Akimichi Chouji.

Naruto grinned, "Well, if it isn't the idiot trio!"

"Well, well," Naruto turned again to find Kiba sauntering over, the miniature Akamaru on top his head. "It seems that the entire rookie nine is here. I wonder how far we'll get, eh, Sasuke-kun?"

Haruno Sakura and Yamanaka Ino growled at the cocky boy, being rabid fan girls of Sasuke's. If the looks they gave him were any indication, he'd better shut up, or he'd be neutered in a _very_ painful way. Naruto was sure of that, and Shino, the last member of team Eight, seemed to agree, if the way his eyebrows nit together was any indication.

Kiba's gaze traveled over to Hinata, and he immediately brightened up, "Hey, Hinata! Ditch that loser and come over here!"

_Uh oh,_ Naruto thought frightfully, _he has NO idea what he just said._

One of the few things that could make Hinata truly mad was someone saying something bad about Naruto. Kiba, unfortunately for him, had just made that mistake.

"Ano…Kiba-san," Hinata started out softly. Naruto winced. That tone was deceiving. "I-I mean no disrespect, but…shut up!"

"Looks like you're at the bottom of the food chain, dog boy!" Naruto grinned.

"Hey, you guys! You should be quieter," Naruto had to squash his anger down with an iron fist to keep himself in check as Kabuto the traitor walked up behind them.

Naruto did his best to ignore the silver haired boy, even going so far as to grind his teeth subtly to distract himself. He didn't like the boy, no matter how kind he acted. And his nin info cards were very dangerous. If they found out certain details…

"Do you have information on Uzumaki Naruto of the Hidden Leaf?"

Naruto's eyes snapped onto Hyuga Neji, Hinata's cousin and the one who had asked the question. He felt his mouth drop open, his surprise overwhelming his sense of normal behavior. He had _never_ expected Neji to ask that question, hadn't thought Neji would lower himself to doing such a thing.

Naruto could only watch, too stunned to do anything, as Kabuto channeled chakra to his hand and swiped a card from the top of the deck. With flourish, he twisted it in his fingers and read its contents out loud.

"Uzumaki Naruto," he said, eyes sweeping back and forth. "Age: 12. His teammates are Uchiha Sasuke and Hyuga Hinata. His sensei is Hatake Kakashi, the Copy Ninja. Missions: 30 D-Rank and 1 C-rank. His specialties are with Fire and Wind Jutsu."

Kabuto's eyes seemed to widen a bit, "His ninjutsu, strength, speed, and stamina are off the charts. I don't think I've seen _Jounin_ with stats this high!"

Neji frowned and left to the table he had been sitting at, rejoining his teammates Tenten and Lee. He seemed slightly less satisfied with the results than he had expected he would be, and sulked, trying to glare a hole in Naruto's skull.

"All tension aside," Naruto whirled around, his eyes focused on Kabuto again. "It'd be best if you avoided certain villages."

"Oh?" Kiba asked, arching an eyebrow. "And which villages might those be?"

"Stop trying to act cool, Kiba!" Sakura bopped him on the head. "Only Sasuke-kun can act cool!"

"Yeah!" Ino ganged up on him, "I agree with forehead girl! Stop acting cool!"

"What did you call me, Ino-pig?!"

"You heard me, billboard brow!"

Shaking his head, Kabuto turned his attention to the remaining Genin, "Anyway, it'd be a good idea if you avoided the Ame-nin over there. They have a dangerous temper. And Iwa-nin, too. They aren't very happy with Konoha, and Naruto bears a striking resemblance to the object of their hate."

"What do you mean?" Shikamaru asked, rubbing his shoulder with a half-interested look on his face.

"Well," the gray-haired Nin started, "If you take away the age and clothing difference, and the whisker marks, Naruto could pass off as the Fourth Hokage himself. As long as you guys stay away from them, you shouldn't have anything to worry about."

"Alright, you maggots!" Naruto swiveled around towards Ibiki's rough voice. Sakura and Ino quickly calmed. "Calm down and shut up!"

— o.0.O.O.0.o —

Naruto felt his eyes droop, his head resting on his arms. It had only been five minutes since the Exam had started, and he was already bored out of his mind. He'd thought that he could put up with the long wait that was bound to come with taking the Exam, but it seemed that he was falling short in the patience area.

"Numbers 62, 79, and 12, you're out of here!" Naruto turned his half-lidded gaze to a familiar face. The last time he had seen it, it belonged to one of the _Genin_ guarding the door to room 201. Izumo was his name, if he remembered correctly, and he was a member of Ibiki's entourage.

"26, 39, and 43, you're gone too!" An Iwa-nin team stood from the crowd, grumbling darkly as they walked out the door. Naruto snorted. Even in his own drowsy state, he could tell they were cheating. Now _that_ was sad.

Hinata spared a glance towards her left, looking at Naruto. His head rested on his folded arms, leaning on the desk and covering a large portion of his paper. His paper, what she could see of it, was unmarked, save for his name. She didn't know why he wasn't answering the questions, but she didn't like the effect it could have on their team.

Quietly, so as not to alert the Chuunins watching her, she nudged him with her foot, trying to wake him, "Ano…Naruto-kun…wake up. You have a test to finish."

"'s alrigh'," he mumbled, his lips barely moving. "Don' need ta worry. I go' it all un'er control."

Biting her lip and still worried, Hinata took his word for it and went back to her own test.

"Alright," Ibiki said, his arms crossed. "It's time for the 10th question. It's do or die, so listen up…"

Naruto cracked an eye open, listening half-heartedly as the exam proctor explained the rules for the last question. _"Wow," _he marveled silently. _"Forty-five minutes sure passes quickly."_

"…you reject the question, raise your hand. Once you and your teammates' numbers are confirmed, you will be allowed to leave."

"Tha's bull," Naruto said, after watching nearly six teams leave. "Won' matter what rank you are when you face an enemy. I could fight the Raikage and he wouldn't give a damn if I was Genin or Jounin. He'd show me no more mercy jus' because I'm a Genin."

He sat up, squaring his shoulders and setting his eyes on Ibiki determinedly, "So I'm staying, regardless of what might happen."

"So," Ibiki's gaze swept the room. "Anyone else going to reject the question?"

Nobody moved, and the room was deadly silent.

Ibiki smirked, "Well then. For all of you that remain, I have good news."

Everyone held his or her breath as the anticipation increased. A large number of them leaned forward on their desks, eagerly awaiting the news.

"Congratulations," Ibiki's smirked grew. "All of you have passed the first section of the Chuunin Exams!"

A window shattered, a rolled up ball of cloth flying through it. As it reached Ibiki, it unraveled, four kunai pinning its corners to the ceiling and floor. A woman was soon discovered to have been hiding inside it, her purple hair pulled into a loose clip on the back of her head.

"Don't get so excited! I'm the proctor for the second exam and it won't be so easy!" she grinned. "I'm Mitarashi Anko."

— o.0.O.O.0.o —

Next time…

_They've cleared the first exam successfully, but the danger of the Chuunin Selection Exam has yet to pass. The encounter with Orochimaru in the Forest of Death, though it turns out better than expected, leaves Naruto fearful of Hinata's safety. With Orochimaru focused on merging the Byakugan with the Sharingan, the Snake Sennin will take an unhealthy interest in a few of the Genin. Naruto's fears are justified._

_But Kyubi has a plan to help Naruto's fiancé protect herself. _

_Give her an Avatar of her own, disguised as a normal summon._

_All Naruto has to do to create this summon is design its body and write the summoning scroll, and the Kyubi will handle its creation and powers. **"It won't be nearly as powerful as yours, though, so I make no promises about its ability to fight other Avatars."**_

_Next time, in A Simple Change: The Sharingan Vol. 1: Rebirth "_Skeith's Fury and Corbenik's Birth".

_The chapter you've all been waiting for! Hang on to your pants, it will be here soon!_

**— o.0.O.O.0.o — **

**A/N This is not a sequel to ASCTR. This doesn't have anything to do with ASCTR.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, Rurouni Kenshin, or (Dot) Hack**

**Three chapters in under a month…this has got to be a fricking record! Everyone celebrate my greatness!!**

**Ninpou: Kuchiyose no Gongen — Ninja Art: Avatar's Summoning — I'll explain this later, when another person displays this ability…like Gaara.**

**Taiyoushin Ittou Tansen — Sun God's Single Strike Edge  
Naruto's first original Jutsu (during his second chance, anyway). A sort of mimicry of Kakashi's "Raikiri". Consumes an ungodly amount of chakra. It turns the chakra concentrated to one's fist into hot flames. The user remains unharmed, but anything else that touches it will feel as if they had been stricken by the sun. Thus its name. It is also very much advised that you have the Sharingan as well. If you miss and can't keep Taiyoushin Ittou Tansen active, you're a goner.**

**Sessha— I'm going to steal this little tidbit from Rurouni Kenshin. It means "This one". It's a very humble way to describe oneself. Naruto will use it during the beginning of his relationship with Hinata. Since Naruto is the "Bane of Konoha", he will feel he isn't worthy of Hinata's affection.**

**Sessha wa kansa shiteiru desu. Sore kare wa desu. — This one is thankful. That he is.**

**Aishiteru — I love you**

**Updates will be slow for all my stories, due primarily to the new school year.**

**Steadfast, my friends, and good luck.**

**James Daniel Fawkes**

**_James Daniel Fawkes_ (Signature best viewed in _Wendy Medium_ font style)**


	5. Skeith's Fury and Corbenik's Birth

**A Simple Change: The Sharingan**

**By:** James D. Fawkes

**Chapter Five: Skeith's Fury and Corbenik's Birth**

**— o.0.O.O.0.o — **

"Let's go!" Anko shouted, pumping her fist into the air enthusiastically. "Follow me!"

Pushing the fabric away, Ibiki leaned over to whisper in her ear, "Bad timing."

A blush slowly spread over Anko's face, her hand frozen in midair. Slowly, flooded with embarrassment, she brought it down. Quiet for the first time since she had arrived, her eyes swept the half-empty room, scanning it.

She seemed surprised by their numbers, and Naruto had to smirk as she turned to yell at Ibiki, "Seventy-eight? You left twenty-six teams, Ibiki?!"

Ibiki smirked, "What can I say? There were a lot of exceptional ones this time."

"Oh well. Doesn't matter, anyway," Anko smirked, licking her lips in anticipation. "I'll cut their numbers in half with the second exam."

A few of the Genin shivered in trepidation, worried slightly about her bold proclamation. The only ones that seemed unfazed were Team Seven, Team Eight, Team Ten, Team Gai, Kabuto's team, and the newcomer team from grass. Naruto was grinning.

"Ahh. I'm getting excited!" Anko licked her lips again, her smirk growing. "I'll explain everything once we get a change of scenery. This stuffy old room is too small. Follow me."

— o.0.O.O.0.o —

Anko led them to a large, fenced in forest comprised of impossibly large trees with huge, twisted, unnatural trunks. A decrepit sign hung from the locked gate by aged and rusted chains, a single warning printed on it in fading letters: "DANGER! STAY OUT!"

"Welcome to the stage for the second test," Anko stopped in front of the fence, her light hearted voice a screaming contradiction to the dark woods in front of them. She turned, her trench coat swaying slightly. A malicious grin tugged at the corners of her lips, "This is training area Forty-four, lovingly called…the Forest of Death. Unlucky for you guys, you'll soon find out why."

"Yeah," Naruto snorted, making a show of quaking, "I'm shivering!"

Naruto tilted his head to the side, allowing Anko's kunai to fly past harmlessly. Then, faster than most could follow, his hand darted backwards, a kunai of his own clamped in his iron grip. There was a clang as his steel clashed with Anko's, who had occupied the empty space behind him. He grinned.

Anko grinned back, pushing herself away and returning to her former position. A smirk crossed her face as her gaze swept across the assembled Genin, "Seems we've got some talented wannabes here today. They'll be the first to go."

"Now," she said, reaching into her trench coat and giving a select few quite a view (Sasuke shook, chanting to himself, "I am not into older women, I am NOT into older women!). "Before we begin, there's a little something I have to pass out to you little brats."

She whipped out a stack of papers, flashing them in the younger ninjas' faces, "You must sign these agreement waivers. There'll be deaths in this one, and if you don't sign, I'll be responsible."

After the papers made their way around, she continued, "Now that I have your attention, let's explain the second test…"

Naruto tuned her out, having already heard the lecture once. He knew this test like the back of his hand. It was a battle for scrolls, one heaven and one earth, and you needed two in order to get into the tower in the center. They had five days. Any teams who opened their scrolls before they got to the tower were disqualified.

"…exchange your team's forms for a scroll and get ready to begin," Anko paused, looking the assembled ninja over. "One final word of advice…Don't die!"

Quickly, everyone turned in their forms for a scroll, huddling with their teammates to discuss battle strategies. Kiba seemed to be bragging to Sakura about something, flexing his muscles while she rolled her eyes. Shino looked on impassively, his face ever devoid of emotion.

Naruto's gaze swept over to Team Ten, where Chouji was snacking on another bag of chips. Lazy as ever, Shikamaru's stood with his hands in his pockets, staring up at the clouds in the afternoon sky, eyes half lidded. Ino stood with her arms crossed impatiently, a frown on her face as her foot tapped incessantly. She was staring off into the distance somewhere, undoubtedly trying to distract herself from her abysmal teammates.

A hand landed lightly on his shoulder, showering his nostrils with the smell of lavender. He turned, greeting Hinata's smiling face, "Ano…Naruto-kun…It's almost time to start."

"Get ready to start!" Anko's voice floated in from the background. "Follow an instructor and go to a gate! The exam begins in thirty minutes!"

Smiling, Naruto followed a silent instructor to a gate, his team tailing behind him. Sasuke was fidgeting excitedly and Hinata was walking confidently, but Naruto could practically feel the anxiety rolling off of her. She was nervous, and, he had to admit, he was too. This was the turning point. If he could prevent Orochimaru from marking Sasuke, then he wouldn't have much trouble keeping everything in line.

A shrill whistle blew, Anko's voice accompanying it, "The Second test of the Chuunin Exams now begins!"

In a collective blur of movement, the various teams leapt through the gates, most intent on finding a second scroll and making it to the center. There was one team, though, that was focused on something else.

Orochimaru grinned wickedly.

— o.0.O.O.0.o —

Naruto suddenly halted on the forest floor, his face twisted into a frown. Sasuke and Hinata landed next to him, shooting him worried looks.

"What is it, Naruto?" Sasuke urged, anxiety in his obsidian gaze.

Naruto frown deepened a little, "…I have to take a piss."

Sasuke's right eyebrow twitched. He brought a swift fist down on his cousin's head, relishing the curse of pain he got in return. He shook his head, muttering, "Idiot."

Naruto headed towards the nearest crop of trees, rubbing the back of his head, "I'll be back in a minute. Don't worry."

"Don't get lost," Sasuke said, grinning.

Naruto shot him a half-glare over his shoulder, "What are you? My mother?"

There was a pause as Naruto walked into the cluster of bushes, and silence fell. All was quiet, except for the '_zzzzzzupt'_ as Naruto pulled down his fly and prepared to water the tree. _Then_, all was quiet, save the distant sounds of animals.

It was broken by Naruto's curse, "Damn it! Why do I get all the freaky ones? Stupid pervert!"

There was a loud thud as a body flew from behind the tree Naruto was leaking on, the blob of cloth, flesh, and hair moving too fast to make out. It hit a tree not far off, leaving a human shaped imprint in its wake. Whoever it was, he or she was definitely unconscious. Sasuke knew first hand just how brutal Naruto's right hook was when he was angry, and almost pitied the poor bastard that had tried to sneak up on his cousin.

Sound returned a second time as Naruto's zipper was pulled up again, and he walked out of the tree a few seconds later, mumbling about perverted Ame-nin and just what he'd like to do to them (Sasuke shivered as he caught the word "castrate").

Naruto walked up to the unconscious ninja and kicked him really hard in the ribs, grinning when he heard a barely audible crunch. He'd cracked the shinobi's ribs, so the poor boy would definitely be feeling it in the morning. If he had an ounce of pity for ninja of the Hidden Rain village, it was overshadowed by his anger.

Naruto reached down and searched the older boy's kunai pouch for a scroll, grumbling when he found none. He hadn't really expected to find anything, but he'd been a bit hopeful. It would've made things _so_ much easier for him.

"Right then," Naruto rubbed his hands together eagerly as he turned towards his friends, a grin threatening to split his face in half. "We need a password!"

"What kind of password?" Sasuke questioned, arms folded in front of his chest.

"It has to be something only we would know. Something that's very unexpected," Hinata gave her input, brow nit and chewing on her lower lip as she tried to find something that fit the criteria she had just set forth.

"I got it!" Naruto snapped his fingers. "The question will be 'What is Naruto's secret weapon?'"

"How do we answer, Naruto-kun?"

"It's simple," Naruto told them, nodding sagely. "The answer is 'Kara no Sora' (Empty Skies), alright?"

Sasuke and Hinata nodded.

"Good," he said, flashing them a grin. "Now, it's time to get…"

He was cut off as a gust of gale force wind swept the clearing, picking the teammates up and throwing them to random places. Sasuke and Hinata managed to stick together, only a few feet from the clearing they had been standing in, but Naruto, who was not so lucky, was flung into the foliage and out of sight.

Sasuke and Hinata pulled themselves from the bushes they had landed in and moved to the center of the clearing, waiting for whatever had initiated the attack to appear.

"Ow," Naruto stumbled out from behind the trees, scratches on his face. "You guys okay?"

"Wait," Sasuke demanded, holding out a kunai. "First, the password. What's Naruto's secret weapon?"

Naruto grinned, "Kara no Sora'. Am I right, Sasuke, Hinata?"

Naruto twisted to the side as the kunai that had been in Sasuke's hand whirled past him, coming dangerously close to his midsection, "Whoa!"

"You're wrong," Sasuke growled, a fierce glare set on his face. "You're not Naruto because Naruto never fails to use the –_chan_ suffix when talking to Hinata! Show yourself, imposter!"

The imposter smirked in a way that Naruto never would, his cover blown. It was an evil smirk that held none of the mischief that Naruto's 'evil' smirks held. The wretched smile that pulled at the imposter's lips was purely malicious, and held none of the friendly warmth that Naruto seemed to radiate. In a puff of smoke, the Naruto in front of them turned into a grass ninja with long black hair and weirdly shaped lips, a bamboo shade reminiscent of the ones belonging to Akatsuki placed on the person's head.

"Impressive that you knew," the imposter's voice was silky and smooth, a perfect blend of male and female. "This will be more fun than I thought…"

— o.0.O.O.0.o —

Naruto knelt, groaning and moaning, where he had landed. He had forgotten how damn _painful_ his adventure with the blast of air had been, and he was paying for it now. He stopped cussing for a second as a familiar smell drifted into his nostrils (_"Damn! Why can't I place that scent?"_). Opening his eyes, he took notice of a large shadow on the ground in front of him, _way_ too big to be his shadow.

"Shit!"

Naruto dove out of the way as the snake tried to take a bite out of him, and gaining a mouthful of dirt in the process. Shaking the rocky material from its dripping fangs, the snake soon turned, redirecting its attention on him, hissing angrily.

Naruto stood, yanking his sword from his sheath. Masamune's blade sang as it came free, gleaming in the sparse sunlight that showered down between the massive tree limbs. The silver shine of the katana flashed as Naruto moved into a ready stance, knees bent.

The snake reared back, preparing to strike a second time. Its head shot forth, ready to swallow the blonde whole, sword and all. But Naruto was ready and jumped up, over the creature's gaping maw and into the air.

Naruto came straight down, tip of his blade poised to sink deep into the serpent's thick scales. He crashed into the beast, his sword diving past the beast's strong hide up to the hand-guard, nearly splitting its brain in half. Masamune was quickly pulled from its slimy confines and placed back in its sheath, clean, for the most part.

Naruto sighed, and with a few half-hearted seals, the extra weight on his body was gone, leaving him at full strength. Without a second glance at the dead beast, Naruto took to the trees, towards his friend and his most precious person.

— o.0.O.O.0.o —

The grass Nin smirked at the Genin in front of him, "You want my Earth scroll, yes? Because you have the Heaven scroll?"

His unnaturally long tongue slithered over his earth scroll, the smirk never leaving his lips. At an agonizing pace, he slowly inserted the scroll into his mouth, his tongue still curled around it. Sasuke and Hinata could only watch in disgust as the scroll slid down his throat, bulging inside of his esophagus.

Grinning evilly, he stared them down, "Now, let's begin the battle for each other's scrolls…with our lives on the line!"

Hinata and Sasuke felt their limbs freeze as the terror of death fell upon them, preventing them from moving an inch of their own will. His limbs shaking uncontrollably, Sasuke keeled over, revisiting his lunch. _"Is this some sort of Genjutsu? No! He's not using an illusion, this is pure fear, created by his killing intent!"_

The grass-nin chuckled lightly, "Heh heh. You can no longer move."

With an almost lazy flick of his wrist, he flung two kunai at Sasuke and Hinata.

Using pain to override fear by stabbing himself with a kunai, Sasuke picked up Hinata and dashed for cover, barely dodging the enemy's weapons. After putting some distance between himself and the nutcase, he stopped behind some trees, panting in exertion and to return the feeling of breathing back to his lungs.

Hinata sat beside him, Byakugan activated and searching for any disturbances in the forest. She soon caught sight of a snake hanging from the tree above them and quickly warned Sasuke via a tap on the shoulder. With a well-practiced jump, they flung themselves off the tree and into another, narrowly escaping the serpent's large jaws.

When it followed his movements, he flung as many kunai and shuriken into its body as he dared, watching as it fell against the tree, supposedly dead. With the immediate threat gone, Sasuke leaned back against the tree he was in, sighing in relief. It was over.

His breath caught when he heard a disturbing noise coming from the snake he had just killed. Almost afraid of what he would find, Sasuke turned his head back towards the colossal reptile, pleading with whoever controlled his fate that luck would be on his side.

His eyes widened in horror as the grass-nin rose from the snake's corpse, staring at him, "You guys shouldn't relax for even a moment. Prey should always be trying to run away in the presence of a predator like me."

With his piece said, his body lengthened as he slithered up the tree he was in, much like the snake before him. He stopped short when kunai and shuriken impacted the trunk in front of his face.

"Sorry I'm late, Sasuke, Hinata-chan," a voice said, "But I had a little trouble with a pest. Seems it wanted to know all about my secret weapon."

Hinata and Sasuke's heads whipped around towards the source, a blonde Genin wearing varying shades of black, gray, and white, a sword tied to his hip and a vulpine grin stretching across his lips. Hinata felt hope fill her being, replacing the despair she had previously experienced, "Naruto-kun!"

Naruto's eyes narrowed as he looked at his opponent, and his grin disappeared. Tugging his sword and its saya from his belt, he tossed it towards his girlfriend, "Keep Masamune safe, Hinata-chan. I'm going all out against this guy."

Hinata nodded, holding the sword against her chest as if it were the most important task she had ever been given. Naruto flashed her a quick 'thank-you' smile, then turned back to his enemy, flashing through hand seals.

The grass Nin's eyes widened at the seal sequence, especially the impressive speed with which it was done. _"A summoning Jutsu?"_

His seals completed, Naruto slammed his hands into the wood, slowly pulling two summoned objects from their depths. The crimson hilts emerged first, the grips wrapped in tattered white material. The places where the hand-guards would normally be followed, bare of anything resembling such things. Then, the blades came, odd pieces of metal coming up from the hilts and obscuring most of the black steel on both of the flat sides. When they were fully revealed, Naruto held them opposite the way most would expect, and both blades were only about half as long as a normal katana, though almost twice as wide.

The blades, which would normally be situated a few inches above his thumbs, were now about two inches below his pinky fingers. Grinning, Naruto held the blades in front of his torso, crisscrossing his arms so that the obscured blades shot out past his shoulders, almost looking like spiked shoulder pads from Orochimaru's distance.

Naruto's grin widened, "Kara no Sora!"

With a soft '_clink'_, the objects obscuring the blades shot outwards, revealed to be two extra blades on each sword, nearly as long as the center blade. The outer most blades were curved outwards drastically, like the bottom half of the letter 'Z', to provide more damage during a stab, or give an advantage over an enemy using a regular sword. The two blades closest to his elbows were curved inward slightly, much like the blade of a scythe. They looked cumbersome, though everyone present could somehow tell that he knew how to use them.

The grass Nin smiled, "My, my, Naruto-kun, you certainly look threatening up there like that."

With a speed that rivaled Lee's, Naruto had disappeared from the tree branch he was standing on, and was suddenly standing on a tree branch right next to the enemy, one of his swords cutting into the wood that the grass nin had been occupying less than a second ago. The grass Nin smirked.

"You're quite fast, too."

With a soft tug, the Kara no Sora that had sunk into the tree was pulled free, as if it had never been stuck in the first place. It was swung again, the second blade following it, creating a long string of combos designed to kill anyone, no matter their strength or size.

The grass Nin hissed as a part of the clothing covering his shoulder was torn away, a shallow cut dragging itself across his pale skin. He sped up, careful to dodge each of the lightning fast blows that were raining upon him. He wouldn't underestimate this boy again.

A sudden kick to his midsection threw the grass Nin against the tree. Two clones immediately appeared and pinned him to the bark, preventing his escape in his stunned state.

"Katon: Karyuu Endan!"

A dragon of fire crashed into the grass Nin, destroying the clones and drawing a cry of anguish from his lips. The skin of his face started to melt away, his clothes suffering a large amount of irreversible damage. The purple rope-like belt was beginning to disintegrate.

Finally, it ended, and the grass Nin was a little worse for wear. Naruto stared, not daring to believe he had defeated his most hated enemy so easily. And he was right to be cautious, for the man in front of him melted into mud.

Cursing inventively, Naruto swiveled around, tightening his grip on Kara no Sora. He knew that his enemy would be hard to drive off, but with his experience he had expected to be able to pull such a thing off with just his blades. It was his biggest mistake, and it had probably cost him the opportunity to that he had needed.

"Heh heh," the voice was deeper now, but still silky and smooth. "My, my, Naruto-kun. You are quite strong, aren't you?"

There was a soft sound and Naruto felt a familiar presence behind him, "It's too bad that you'd never leave Konoha. There's so much I could do for this wonderful ability of yours."

Naruto spun around, striking out with Kara no Sora in the process. Orochimaru dodged it easily, sending a hard kick to Naruto's stomach. Naruto went soaring into the charred wood that he had tried to fry his enemy on, then fell forward, seemingly unconscious. His blades disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Orochimaru turned back towards his other two targets, inspecting them closely. For the first time, he noticed Hinata's pearly eyes.

"Ah. My, my. A Hyuga?" he giggled evilly. "What an opportunity this is! An effective test subject for a merge between Byakugan and Sharingan. Ooh! Sasuke-kun isn't the only one on this team worth taking!"

He seemed to think on something, then smirked, "Yes, yes. I believe a Heaven Seal would work quite well on you, little Hyuga. It is a shame, though, that I have to mar that perfect skin of yours."

His hands moved upward, but Orochimaru froze in mid seal as a malevolent chakra rose up behind him. He whirled around to find Naruto standing, eyes a gleaming red and an aura of chakra swirling around him. Cursing his forgetfulness, he reached into his kunai pouch, only to stop as the boy roared.

"SKEITH!!"

Orochimaru had to shield his eyes from the intense glow as the chakra condensed around Naruto, forming a sort of humanoid figure. There was a shift as the condensed chakra grew, creating some shape of some sort. Orochimaru could only guess what was happening, closing his eyes tight so as to prevent blindness.

"**Guuuuuuuuuuh.**"

Orochimaru wondered what the hell had happened as the demonic energy that had stayed contained around the blonde boy suddenly exploded outward and all around, seeming to double in intensity and size. It weighed heavily on the evil man, and he felt the true terror of death, much like what he had inflicted on Hinata and Sasuke with his killing intent.

"**Gaaaaaaaauuaaaaaaaaaah!**"

The chakra suddenly doubled again, pressing down even more on the Snake Sennin. His curiosity too great to ignore, Orochimaru opened his eyes as the flare of light settled. His jaw went slack and his arms fell to his sides, limp.

Skeith, imposing and pitch black, stood tall, its massive figure rivaling the Ichibi no Shukaku in terms of mass and pure size. Its three red eyes glowed as it glared down at its victim. With very little effort or pause, Skeith pulled its arms back, preparing some sort of attack.

Orochimaru's eyes widened as a long staff appeared in Skeith's monstrous hands. A long, curved blade made of red chakra appeared at one end, forming a deadly scythe. Even the fabled Shinigami would cower in fear, staring down this large entity of death and destruction. Survival instincts kicking in, Orochimaru fled, completely forgetting about Sasuke and giving him the curse seal.

Skeith roared as its gaze followed its enemy. Had it been capable of humor, it would have snorted at the target's pathetic escape plan. Orochimaru had run right through Skeith's legs, just barely making it under the curtain of crimson chakra that made up Skeith's cloak.

There was a puff of smoke, and Orochimaru was riding away on a snake, desperately trying to get away from the death incarnate that was haunting his every step. It turned out that the serpent couldn't keep up with Skeith's superior abilities as Skeith's scythe came down, cleaving the summon in half.

The scythe was pulled back again, even as his target threw summon after summon in an attempt to distract him from his goal. None were successful, and most were defeated by the imposing spikes on the Avatar's clawed fingers. Even Manda, the boss summon for the slimy snakes, could not do more than annoy the giant beast.

Manda wrapped his scaly body around Skeith, trying to squeeze the life from the imposing Avatar. Careful of the spikes on the creature's knees, the enormous serpent tightened his grasp on the black beast, attempting to crush the breath from his enemy. Skeith growled in annoyance and pulled Manda from his body with one clawed hand, snapping the reptile's spine. In a puff of smoke, one of Orochimaru's greatest ally's disappeared.

The scythe came down again, aimed for Orochimaru. But it seemed Lady Luck was on the side of evil, because the blade disappeared a second before it could hit. The staff was gone soon after, followed shortly by the cloak of red chakra. The terrifying beast was disappearing one piece at a time.

Skeith knew immediately what was going on, and let out a rage filled roar. Naruto was loosing consciousness, and with him would go Skeith's connection to the world, meaning that Skeith would disappear for now. Skeith could not retain his form without Naruto there to keep it together, which made him completely dependent.

In one final flash of crimson light, Skeith was gone, replaced by a sleeping Naruto, and Orochimaru escaped from the forest, safe for the moment.

Hinata threw Masamune into Sasuke's unprepared arms, rushing forward to catch her falling fiancée. Sliding on the tree bark, she stopped right beneath Naruto, letting him land in her arms. He was safe, for now.

— o.0.O.O.0.o —

"**Guuuuh.**"

"**Graaaaah!"**

Naruto shot up, eyes wide open. He was in front of Kyubi's cage again, and he had very little idea why. The last he remembered, he was fighting Orochimaru. So then how did he get…?

**"Grrrrrrrr."**

Naruto froze as his gaze fell upon the fox's prison, his mind having trouble comprehending what he was seeing. There, behind the bars, the large demon fox was combating his Avatar, Skeith. It seemed a draw, at the moment, but he could faintly make out bloodstains on the Kyubi's dark pelt.

**"Kit!"**

Naruto focused on the nine tails, his wide blue eyes locked with the demon's red. The fox was holding Skeith at bay.

**"I can only keep him occupied for so long!"** it told him, growling angrily. **"You were right. Skeith has grown a consciousness all his own and wants to experience the real world!"**

With a grunt, Skeith was thrown against the floor, pinned under the demon's paws, but it was putting up an admirable fight. Even subdued, it seemed be tireless.

**"If he succeeds,"** Kyubi continued. **"He'll go berserk and destroy everything, eating up all of our combined chakra in the process. We'll both die!"**

The beast grunted again, pushing his paws against its opponent's back, making sure that it couldn't move. He growled, trying to keep the rogue Avatar from escaping its grasp. Skeith thrashed, attempting to pierce the fox on his spikes.

**"Use one of those Seals you learned from the Forbidden Scroll!"** Kyubi threw all its weight on its enemy. **"Seal Skeith's consciousness away! And do it quickly, just make sure that you don't put the seal over mine!"**

"I can't!" Naruto shouted. "I have enough Chakra to perform a seal, but I'm unconscious! And I can't seal him while I'm unconscious!"

**"Fool!"** Kyubi snarled, baring its fangs. **"Anything that happens to your _astral_ body happens to your _real _body!"**

— o.0.O.O.0.o —

Hinata wrung out the wet cloth, torn from her own jacket, and placed it gently on Naruto's forehead. He'd come down with a fever shortly after loosing consciousness, and, in an effort to help, Hinata and Sasuke had taken him to a stream where they could be near a source of cool water constantly. It had been roughly an hour since the awake members of Team Seven had carried him to that location. It had been nearly twenty minutes since Sasuke had gone to find a few ally teams to assist them.

Hinata's gaze traveled to Naruto's right arm, alerted by the sudden chakra flare that had come from his forearm. She watched, amazed, as a black pattern seemed to burn itself into her fiancé's skin, traveling the length of his muscular forearm. If she didn't know any better, she'd say it was a seal of some sort.

His fingers suddenly twitched, writhing wildly without explanation. A vein stood out on the back of his hand, and the seal snaked its way across his palm, stopping before it reached his fingers. It twisted and conformed, changing blood red for seemingly no reason.

Finally, it seemed done with whatever it was supposed to accomplish, flashing once before it disappeared beneath his skin. She felt the breath she hadn't known she'd been holding fall from her mouth in the form of a sigh. She didn't know what had just happened, but she was relieved it was over.

Naruto's breathing evened out, and he settled down. He'd been writhing painfully, his breathing labored. She could only guess that it had something to do with the seal that had appeared as if from nowhere on his arm.

Hinata smiled, moving her hand from his bare shoulder and running it through his wild hair. She and Sasuke had pulled his jacket and scarf from him when he started sweating. She was glad he wore a skin-tight sleeveless undershirt beneath his jacket, or she might have fainted. It was bad enough for her with just the shirt that hugged his frame so intimately, showing off ever contour of his toned chest.

She giggled lightly as he unconsciously snuggled closer to her, seeking warmth. It seemed, even asleep, he was still her Naruto-kun.

"Aishiteru," she whispered, stroking his blonde locks delicately. "Aishiteru, Naruto-kun."

— o.0.O.O.0.o —

Kyubi sighed, licking his bloody foreleg. The brat had managed to seal Skeith into his right arm. Naruto could still access Skeith's powers and summon him, but the Avatar's voice had fallen silent. Now, Naruto had complete control, without anything challenging that. But the struggle had still left Kyubi with a few wounds.

"You okay?"

Kyubi looked down at the blonde haired boy, rolling his shoulder in a shrug, **"Bah. Just a flesh wound. It'll heal in no time."**

"Good," Naruto nodded, hands on his hips. "Now, there's a problem we have to discuss. What if the snake freak decides to come after Hinata-chan? I won't always be around, you know, and she's no match for Orochimaru."

**"Hmm,"** the beast shifted around, his wounds temporarily forgotten. **"There is one way, but it's much more complicated than you might want it to be. And once you choose this path, you'll have to go through with it."**

"What is it?" Naruto asked immediately. "I'll do anything it takes to keep Hinata safe!"

**"Gooood," **the Kyubi cooed, laying his head on his paws. **"Then we're going to give your girlfriend an Avatar. We'll disguise it as a normal summoning, and it'll effectively keep her safe."**

"But doesn't that need _your_ chakra?"

The beast shook his head, **"Not necessarily. If we have her use a blood tribute, like a normal summon, it replaces the need for my chakra. The only downside is that such a substitute will make it marginally weaker than Skeith."**

"Well, that doesn't seem too bad," Naruto admitted, crossing his arms. "What do I have to do?"

**"It's rather simple," **Kyubi told him. **"You just have to design its appearance and write the summoning scroll that your vixen will have to sign. I'll take care of its powers and creation."**

"That doesn't sound too hard," Naruto replied. "Is that it?"

**"That's it,"** the nine tails confirmed. **"But you'll be surprised. That's more difficult than it looks."**

— o.0.O.O.0.o —

Hinata sat in front of Naruto, bruised and exhausted. Her enemies were a good distance away, and one of them was unconscious. There was a horrible sinking feeling in her gut that she was going to die. But at least she'd die protecting her most precious person. At least she'd die protecting her Naruto-kun.

"Come on, girly," Zaku said, his spiky hair as untouched as it had been since the beginning. "It doesn't have to be this hard."

"Just hand over the Naruto brat," Dosu said, his single eye focused on the Hyuga girl. "And we'll let you go. No harm, no foul."

Lee could only stare at her awkwardly, his eyes half-lidded and his body motionless. He'd been defeated by the Dosu-Zaku tag team, his ears bleeding and his balance off. He was useless now. All he could do was watch as his comrade was mercilessly slaughtered.

"N-never!" Hinata hissed, glaring at them. "I'll protect Naruto-kun, even if it costs me my life!"

"Oh well," Dosu grinned beneath his bandages, rushing towards the defenseless girl. "Time to end this!"

"Some minor sound-nins bullying these second rate ninjas. I'm afraid I can't allow that." A voice said from up in the trees.

Dosu stopped and turned his attention to the owner of the voice, a longhaired Genin wearing some sort of jacket and black shorts. His eyes were the same milky white color as Hinata's and glared at them hatefully. Dosu snarled, "More of them! They're like cockroaches!"

"You made a mistake," he said, ignoring the sound-nin's words, "That knocked out freak is from my team and you're going to pay for that.

"If you're going to go any further…" the veins around his eyes bulged, "…then I'm going all out."

Something flickered on the Neji's Byakugan enhanced vision even before he had a chance to move, _"Huh? This chakra!"_

"If you don't like it so much," Dosu taunted, "Then stop acting cool and get down here!"

"No…" Neji said slowly, "It seems that won't be necessary."

Over near the slow moving river, Naruto was slowly standing, a malevolent red chakra peeling off his form. It was vaporous in nature and took no definite shape. Neji's Byakugan could not seem to find where the unnatural chakra originated from, though it seemed more dense and intense around his stomach.

Naruto's gleaming crimson eyes glared at the Oto-nins in front of him, as if willing them to combust spontaneously. In a low, dangerous voice, he asked, "Hinata-chan…Who did this to you?"

"Naruto-kun!" she gasped, her voice slightly hoarse. But she couldn't care less. He was okay, and that's all that mattered.

"_Who did this?_" he asked again, his voice harsh and icy, contradicting the warm chakra covering his body.

Zaku smirked proudly, "We did it!"

The red chakra spiked, gaining size around the slim figure in the middle of it all. Neji flinched slightly as it grew brighter to his 'Godly' vision, and turned off his Byakugan. Naruto grinned evilly at Zaku and Dosu, "So…It was you, was it? Let's see…just how easy it is for me to tear you apart with this small fraction."

Dosu's eye widened, "His chakra is too large!"

Naruto's right hand suddenly whipped out to the side, as if he was swinging something. Then, forming from the red chakra surrounding his body, a scythe appeared, looking too large and heavy for someone of Naruto's size to wield effectively. But he stood there, holding it up with one hand, effortlessly.

Dosu backed up instinctively. The large weapon had a tapered point on the bottom, from which a vine-like pattern crept up the metal shaft. At the top, there were large metal spikes, each one about a foot long. The blade itself seemed to be as tall as the user's forearm and at least twice as long. All in all, it looked positively wicked.

Naruto sauntered forward slowly, the red chakra peeling of his form making it seem like he was on fire. He lacked his usual jacket and scarf, but he was no less intimidating to any sane person. Of course, Zaku wasn't just "any sane person."

"Dosu!" Zaku made a hand seal. "No need to be afraid of this half dead freak! Ultimate Zankuuha!"

Naruto gave him a bored look, then flicked his wrist, his scythe cutting the attack in half horizontally. He seemed untouched, his clothing and body in perfect condition. Zaku only stared at him, flabbergasted.

In a flicker of color, Naruto was gone, reappearing behind Zaku. Faster than the human eye could see, Naruto had carved a deep cut into his opponent's back, effectively preventing any future problems he may have experienced with the sound Nin. He rooted his scythe in the earth, setting it up like a pillar.

Naruto pulled Zaku from the ground, glaring hatefully at him. Setting the boy on his feet for a second, he pulled his fist back and landed a bone-crushing blow to his enemy's shoulder. Zaku was quickly soaring through the air, hitting a tree with his other shoulder. There was a sickening crack as he lost use of both his arms.

Pulling his weapon from its earthy sheath, he turned towards Dosu, a deep frown stretched across his lips, "Are you going to run? Or do I have to kick your ass, too?"

"N-no way!" Dosu backed up. "I'm taking my teammates and leaving!"

Naruto smirked as the Sound Nins disappeared, the red chakra and crimson eyes fading. In a flash of blue, his scythe left him as well. That had been rather easy, though Naruto couldn't recall taking part in such an event the first time around.

— o.0.O.O.0.o —

"Alright," Naruto said, rubbing his hands together, "Let's open those scrolls!"

Sasuke had retrieved an Earth scroll on his scouting mission. He hadn't found anyone to help them, but he had found an enemy team from whom he swiped the scroll. He'd shown up about half a day after he'd left, a second scroll in his hands.

"But, Naruto-kun!" Hinata protested. "We're not supposed to!"

"Yeah, Naruto," Sasuke agreed. "Do you want to get us disqualified?"

"Didn't you two listen to what she said? We're not supposed to open the scrolls until _after_ we get to the tower."

Sasuke blinked, "Wait, back up. So we're _supposed _to open the scrolls once we get to the tower?"

"I get it," Hinata said, smiling. "It's just like Kakashi-sensei told us. Look underneath the underneath. She was hinting that we should open the scrolls once we got here!"

— o.0.O.O.0.o —

"Ooh," Anko rubbed her fingers across the raw spot on her neck, trying to soothe the pain that flowed through it. It had been acting up ever since somewhere near the middle of the second exam.

"Does the Curse Mark still hurt?" Sarutobi asked her, taking a puff on his pipe.

"Much less," she admitted, despite her still moving fingers. "Thank you, Hokage-sama."

"Why'd he come here, though?" one of the Chuunin questioned. "And why now?"

"I think it's safe to assume," the Hokage said darkly, "that he's come for Sasuke, and, worst case scenario, a Hyuga as well. Hinata-san, most likely."

Sandaime's gaze traveled over to the stern face depicted in one of the paintings on the wall. The Yondaime's sapphire eyes stared back at him, as if telling him he had to do what was necessary for the sake of his village.

He sighed, "I think it's time. Inform the elders that, as soon as the Chuunin Exams end, the ANBU shall receive a new division."

The old man took another puff from his pipe, "After the Chuunin Exams, Tsuki no Ki will be created."

— o.0.O.O.0.o —

Now, at the end of the second exam, the twenty-one Genin remaining stood in a peculiar arena, waiting for the instructions to the third exam. In the front of the room stood a group consisting of Chuunin, Jounin, and the Hokage. Protruding from the front wall was a pair of stone hands forming the seal for "Ram".

Anko smirked at them from where she stood, "Congratulations on passing! Hokage-sama will now explain the third test, so listen carefully!"

The Sandaime took a step forward, "Before we begin, there is something I'd like you to know."

He tugged his hat down slightly, "Why do we have all the alliance countries taking this exam together? 'To promote friendship amongst the countries' 'To raise the level of Shinobi'… I don't want you to be confused about the true meaning. This exam is a replacement for war among the allied countries."

Sandaime's face was impassive as he took a puff on his pipe, "If you go back in time, the current allies were enemies who fought each other over who would rule. In order to prevent wasteful fighting, the stage that those countries chose for fighting…That is the origin of the Chuunin Exams."

Sarutobi continued, undaunted by the questions thrown at him, "It is true that this exam decides who is to become Chuunin, but it is also an opportunity for the different countries to show off there ninja to the important figures who watch this third exam. A Shinobi village is only as strong as its weakest link.

"Now then," he paused for a second, "On to the third exam…"

"Actually…" A sick looking Jounin appeared in front of the Hokage, "As referee…Hokage-sama, if I may…?"

Sandaime nodded, "By all means…"

The Jounin turned toward the Genin, revealing his weary face and the dark bags under his eyes, "I am Gekkou Hayate, and I am the referee. Before the third test, I'm afraid we'll have to hold a preliminary. Since we are going to begin right away, I must ask any who wish to quit to do so now."

Kabuto raised his hand, "I wish to quit."

Questioning stares followed his retreating back as he left, sparing a short, unnoticeable glance at Naruto and Sasuke.

Hayate looked around, "Right then, (cough, cough) if no one else wishes to forfeit, let's begin the preliminary rounds. If you'll turn your attention to the screen behind me…"

Everyone turned their gazes to the large screen behind the sickly Jounin, watching as the blackness faded into a dark gray. The letters 'vs.' lit up in the very center. Above them was the name "Uchiha Sasuke" and below it was "Akado Yoroi".

"Now," Hayate said, "If these two participants would come to the front…"

Sasuke grinned as he and Yoroi moved towards the examiner, each confident of their own ability. Naruto grinned as he and everyone else moved into the stand, knowing that Sasuke would fare a lot better without the curse mucking up his strengths.

Hayate made a signal, then jumped away, "Begin!"

Sasuke whipped through hand seals, stopping abruptly on tiger and blowing a large fireball at his opponent. Yoroi flung himself to the side in a dodge, landing in a kneeling position. With a burst of chakra, he activated his bloodline limit, his palm alight in a blue blaze.

"Guh!" Sasuke's foot collided with Yoroi's stomach, sending the older Genin flying. He slammed into the wall, then slid down it only to collapse on the floor. Sasuke grinned.

Yoroi's brow furrowed as he stood, "Teme!"

Sasuke's hand dived into his kunai pouch, pulling a scroll from its burlap depths. He unfurled it, biting his thumb and running it down the opened side. With a few hand seals, he let the revealed scroll drop to the floor. In a puff of smoke, a katana appeared, lacking a sheath.

"_You'll need this,"_ Naruto had told him. _"If you fight a weapons specialist, you'll be no good with just a kunai."_

Sasuke grabbed the sword by its black, lacquered hilt, holding it horizontally as he ran his left hand down the gray blade. He grinned as he caught sight of the word inscribed on the shiny metal. With a flick of his wrist, the scroll rolled back up and he stuck it back in his pouch.

"_I won't tell you that sword's name," _Naruto had said, adamant about his decision. _"You'll have to find that out for yourself, in order to unlock its true power."_

"Roar for me," Sasuke whispered, "Roar for me, Shin'enga!"

Sasuke's grin widened as his Sharingan showed him the aura of chakra surrounding the blade. With flourish, he stabbed it into the ground, going through a half-seal to start his technique.

"Doton: Yama no Tsuchi!" (Earth Style: Mountain of Earth)

A pillar of brown earth and rock rose from beneath the tile, catching the kneeling Yoroi in the stomach. It continued to rise, farther and farther, until it Yoroi's body hit the ceiling with a thud. There was a rushing sound as the rock and such returned to the ground beneath the tile. Yoroi's unconscious body fell to the ground with a sickening whack.

Hayate stepped up and checked for a pulse. With a gesture, he called over the medic team. Akado Yoroi was carried away on a stretcher, most likely suffering from multiple broken bones and much internal bleeding. Hayate returned to the center of the ring, "Winner: Uchiha Sasuke!"

Sasuke un-summoned his sword, returning to the stands with a grin on his face. Naruto nodded at him, his eyes focused on the screen as the next match up appeared.

Zaku was quickly defeated by Shino, his broken shoulders and the horrible slash wound from Naruto leaving him at an amazing disadvantage. In under a minute, he had lost to Shino's swarm of chakra eating insects.

The next match ended nearly as quickly. Kankuro took down Tsurugi Misumi with apparent ease. His mastery of puppetry had tricked the other boy into using his trump card on the lifeless puppet. It was child's play after that.

Ino and Sakura's match ended in an anticlimactic draw. They were too evenly matched to take the other down, so they finished with a double knock out.

The screen lit up for the fifth time, reading "**Temari vs. Ten Ten**"

This turned out to be the worst match up for Ten Ten. Her weapons couldn't reach her opponent at all and she was defeated easily. Temari had beaten her brutally, as evidenced by the fact that she had caught the weapons mistress on her fan, Ten Ten's back bent at an unhealthy angle.

Lee had gotten angry and was ready to fight, but Gai held him back. Lee, still angry, nodded and relinquished his fighting pose. For now.

"**Nara Shikamaru vs. Kin Tsuchi**"

Their match didn't last very long either. Kin had had Shikamaru caught in her trap for a few moments, but Shikamaru had come back and out done her. Using his Kagemane no Jutsu, he forced her to hit her head against the wall. She knocked herself unconscious and Shikamaru was declared the winner.

After Kin was carried away on a stretcher, the screen flashed again, revealing the combatants of the next fight, "**Uzumaki Naruto vs. Inuzuka Kiba**"

"Ha! We got lucky, Akamaru!" Kiba gloated, jumping down into the arena. Akamaru, his dog, gave a hesitant bark of agreement.

Naruto leapt off of the railing, his right cheek still wet from Hinata's "Good Luck" kiss. He was just as confident about his victory.

"Heh," Kiba clenched his fist. "I feel bad for you, so I'll end this in one punch!"

"Yeah, sure," Naruto told him. "But before you beat me, you'll have to force me to take off my weights."

"Oh?" Kiba arched an eyebrow. "What difference will a couple pounds make?"

"A couple pounds?" Naruto laughed. "Try ten times the normal gravity! Then you'll have an accurate estimation."

"Still won't change anything," Kiba retorted. "A loser is still a loser."

"_No matter what you try to change,"_ Neji glared at Hinata with his Byakugan eyes, _"A loser will always be a loser."_

Naruto felt his anger spike. Those were not the words to say to him, especially now, with Hinata so much closer to him. Naruto leveled a glare of his own at Kiba, a snarl stretched across his lips. He'd never let the boy live it down, now that he'd nearly repeated Neji's hateful words towards the innocent Hinata.

"Begin!"

Flipping through four hand seals, Naruto braced his right wrist with his left hand, a familiar flame-like chakra embracing his right palm. It quickly turned from blue to red, licking his skin and clothes but causing no harm.

Naruto locked his sapphire eyes with Kiba's surprised ones, "Taiyoushin Ittou Tansen!"

In a blur, Naruto disappeared, reappearing in front of his opponent. His flaming fist crashed into Kiba's jacket covered chest. Flames exploded outwards, burning away a good portion of the boy's coat. It had to be the most painful thing Kiba had ever felt.

Kiba backed up slowly, clutching at the burns on the left half of his torso.

"Damn," he muttered, "You're gonna half to do better than that, dead last!"

Naruto growled, jumping backward and flashing through another set of seals. He thrust his hands to the floor, allowing his chakra to call upon the items he was seeking. As soon as he could feel them in his grasp, he pulled them from their earthy prison, crossing them in front of his chest much the same way he had during his fight with Orochimaru.

Up in the stands, Hinata and Sasuke's eyes widened, realizing the intensity of Naruto's anger if he was using _them_. If Naruto had any sympathy in him, he'd end it quickly, but…Hinata glanced at the scowl planted firmly on Naruto's lips — the chances of such luck for Kiba were very slim.

Kakashi noticed the tense atmosphere, and came to the conclusion that the only thing missing in this little bout was the dramatic battle theme.

"Kara no Sora," Naruto hissed, his swords' extra blades popping open.

Kiba went through his own seals, calling out the name of his Jutsu as he knelt on all fours, "Shikyaku no Jutsu!"

Naruto held his blades loosely by his side as Kiba came charging. At the last second, he brought one up, blocking Kiba's now clawed hands. With barely a move, he blocked Kiba's second swipe, a ricochet like noise filling the arena as his steel clashed with Kiba's hardened nails.

A third swipe, a fourth swipe, a fifth swipe, a sixth, a seventh. They were all blocked easily, the furious scowl never leaving Naruto's face. Even the stupidest of people could see that Kiba was outclassed, and most of the Jounin Sensei were appalled by Naruto's new set of skills.

Kiba pressed against the one of the two swords with all his might, trying to push it back, but it was useless. It wouldn't move unless Naruto moved it. Kiba was surprised when the other sword swung around, catching him in the chest and leaving a shallow cut overtop the burns. He hissed painfully.

Naruto advanced slowly, allowing his swords to disappear in a puff of smoke. He held out his hand, inches from Kiba's face, who had been starting to stand again. An orb of swirling chakra gathered, pure white in color. Kiba was motionless, too stunned to move, the orb mere centimeters from his nose.

"Boom," Naruto whispered.

The side of the orb farthest from Naruto's palm collapsed, the pressurized winds howling as the sped outwards, crashing into Kiba's face. Kiba went flying, headfirst, into the wall at the other end of the arena, leaving a crater as he slumped onto his butt.

Hayate waited ten seconds, then checked on the Inuzuka boy. Once it was confirmed that he was unconscious, Hayate raised his hand, "Winner: Uzumaki Naruto!"

Naruto turned to head back upstairs, pausing for a second to glare over his shoulder, "That's what you get, bastard."

"**Hyuga Hinata vs. Hyuga Neji**"

"I never thought I'd be facing you," Neji said, a cold grin on his lips, "Hinata-sama."

"Neji-niisan," Hinata whispered.

"Before we begin, I'd like to thank you, Hinata-sama," Neji's mouth twisted into an angry snarl, "For causing my father's death!"

"N-no! I-I— "

"Still stuttering," Neji scoffed. "I can sense your inferiority complex from here! I bet you didn't even want to enter this exam! You just did so because your teammates wanted to!"

"No!" Hinata interrupted. "I e-entered this exam…t-to change myself!"

Neji's eyes narrowed, "You really are a spoiled brat of the Main House, aren't you? Don't you understand? People cannot change! A loser like you will always be a loser!"

"Shut up!" Neji's hateful eyes flickered to Naruto, the origin of the angry command. "You and your destiny shit aren't worth a single speck of dirt on a mule's ass! Hinata-chan, kick that bastard into next week!"

"Hm!" Hinata moved into a stance. Neji caught it out of the corner of his eye and smirked, mimicking her.

"Begin!"

In an instant, they were at each other's throats. The ten foot distance that separated them closed almost like magic, and in a flash, they were mere inches apart.

Neji ducked under Hinata's first strike, stepping inside her guard and aiming his own attack at her heart. Hinata quickly dodged to the side, going against the traditional Juken motions by throwing a roundhouse kick into Neji's stomach.

Neji used his momentum to duck under her kick, tucking his body into a ball as he rolled out of the way. Faster than most could follow, he was on his feet again, flying towards Hinata with as much speed as he possessed.

Hinata moved to the side of his first glowing hand, but wasn't fast enough to dodge the follow up attack of Neji's left hand. Her shoulder burning in pain, Hinata stumbled backwards, clutching at where her cousin had made contact.

Naruto grit his teeth up in the stands, his Sharingan, which was concealed by a complex Genjutsu, glaring down at the battle before him. He'd taken it out to determine who was winning and who had the advantage. With the Juken style of Taijutsu, it was often hard to determine the outcome.

Naruto's lips pulled back in a frustrated snarl, his brow nit. From his view point, Hinata was going to lose to Neji's superior speed and prowess. She was going to wind up injured just as badly as she had the first time around, and that was something Naruto would _not_ allow. But she was going to lose…unless…

"Hinata-chan!" the match paused as the combatants turned to look at the grinning owner of the voice that had spoken. "Hinata-chan, take them off!"

Everyone but Lee, Gai, Kakashi, and Sasuke seemed confused by what he said. Gai and Lee looked surprised, having experience with what training weights could do. Sasuke was grinning as well, and Kakashi's mask looked to conform in such a way that he was _probably_ wearing a smirk.

Hinata smiled, "Hai, Naruto-kun!"

Tugging her at her long-sleeved, dark violet shirt, Hinata bared her wrists, pulling at the small belts that held the little black bands to her body. When she was sure they were loose, she yanked them off, tossing them over near the wall. Many pairs of eyes widened at the large crater they left behind, though it wasn't as big as the crater Naruto knew Lee's weights would make. A second pair of bands that had been attached to her ankles soon joined the ones that left her arms.

In a blur, the match started up again. At first, Hinata seemed to be at an advantage, with her superior speed and the Byakugan to boot, but Neji didn't really feel like loosing, so he pulled out his trump card.

"Kaiten!"

Hinata was pushed back by the swirling vortex of Chakra, throwing her arms up to shield herself from debris and dust.

"You are within the field of my eight tri-grams!"

Hinata felt her arms slacken as the surprise hit her hard, followed quickly by Neji's blazing hands.

"Two palms!"

A swarm of hands, too fast for her to catch the individual motions, struck her, leaving four spots on her body very sore.

"Four palms!"

Another swarm came, and the number of hits her body took quadrupled.

"Eight palms! Sixteen palms!"

A third swarm rained down on her, stealing her strength and chakra from her.

"Thirty-two palms!"

The last swarm came faster than the rest, some striking spots on her body that were already sore from previous strikes.

"Sixty-four palms!"

The final strike, the sixty-fifth palm, came at her, throwing her back a few feet where she collapsed to the ground.

"This is the difference in talent that will never change," Neji said acidly. "This is the destiny that you cannot alter."

Hinata stood shakily, "It's n-not over…"

"Just give up," Neji told her. "Go back to being the weakling of the Main Branch. Go back to suffering at the fate of our family's differences."

"You s-say you can see everything," Hinata said. "But I think you're o-overlooking s-something. Th-the one s-suffering from the differences in o-our family…is you."

In a flash, several Jounin and Naruto had leapt from the stands, the Jounin restraining Neji and Naruto rushing to his girlfriend's side.

With minimal difficulty, Naruto caught her in his arms as she fell, sinking to his knees. He brushed a stray hair from her face as he gently set her on the floor. "Hinata-chan?"

"D-did I…" Hinata coughed harshly, blood mixing in with the saliva. "Did I do good, Naruto-kun?"

Naruto smiled, tears threatening to fall, "Yeah. You did great, Hinata-chan."

Hinata let out a sigh as she fell unconscious, her body going limp. Naruto gently let her torso to the ground, standing as he held back the tears. He hadn't expected seeing this again to be so hard, should it have happened that Neji was still stronger than her. He hadn't expected it, but he _thought_ he was prepared for it.

"Pathetic," Neji said, shaking his head, "A loser comforting another loser. I swear, they're like cockroaches."

His anger and fury, so raw and uncontrollable, spoke volumes of how ill prepared he had been. He growled, subconsciously tapping into the Kyubi's chakra.

"You bastard," he hissed.

He turned and charged towards Neji, his gleaming red eyes wide with fury, "You bastard!"

The Jounin that had previously restrained the Hyuga prodigy moved in, Kurenai, Asuma, Gekkou, and Kakashi all holding Naruto from ripping Neji's pale throat open.

"Let him go," Neji urged them. "I'll show him just how outclassed he is."

"As much I'd like to do that," Kakashi told him, grunting as he kept Naruto at bay. "No matter how much I dislike you, it's not a good idea for me to let Naruto go…he might stain his jacket with your blood. And blood is _so_ hard to wash out."

"Naruto-kun," Lee walked up and set his hand on the blonde's shoulder. "As much as you want to fight him, you must wait for the final exam."

"I want to fight him just as much as you do," Lee continued as Naruto began to settle. "So that I can prove my nindo. That is why I _must_ fight him, to prove that a genius of hard work can take down a clan prodigy. And yet…it would seem all the more fitting should you be the one to pummel him into the ground."

Naruto calmed and brushed the Jounin off. In a flash, he was gone, taking Hinata to the infirmary as quickly as he could.

The ninth match was "**Gaara vs. Rock Lee**".

Lee put up a good fight, and was able to land a few good hits on Gaara. But Gaara was just too strong. In the end, Lee had shown that he could open the "Celestial Gates" and the power they held. But it wasn't any match for Gaara's sand, which crushed Lee's left arm and leg. He was carried off on a stretcher, the medics saying he wouldn't be able to be a shinobi ever again.

The last match was "**Akimichi Chouji vs. Dosu Kinuta**".

Chouji lost pretty quickly. He simply couldn't win against Dosu's sound techniques. Even his "Baika no Jutsu" and his "Meat Tank" he wasn't able to win against the Oto-nin.

"Now then," Sandaime stood in front of the remaining examinees, "Each of you will draw a piece of paper from the box Anko's holding. This will decide who faces who in the finals."

Kakashi drew one for his missing student: Naruto: 1

Dosu: 8

Shikamaru: 9

Temari: 7

Kankuro: 5

Gaara: 3

Neji: 2

Shino: 6

And that left Sasuke with 4.

Ibiki showed them a chart. It depicted the opponents for the Finals.

Match One: Uzumaki Naruto vs. Hyuga Neji

Match Two: Gaara vs. Uchiha Sasuke

Match Three: Kankuro vs. Aburame Shino

Match Four: Dosu Kinuta vs. Temari

Match Five: Match Four victor vs. Nara Shikamaru

— o.0.O.O.0.o —

Next time…

_The prelims have ended and Hinata is safe, but she's still injured from her fight with Neji and the brutal beat down he gave her. Naruto, despite knowing that things would turn out okay, was angrier than he originally had been. This time, Neji was going down **hard**. _

_A strange meeting with his Shishou takes Naruto to a place he's never been to before. "Shishou. Where are we?" An old church stood out amongst the foliage. "This place is called the Hulle Granz Cathedral, the greatest enigma in the entirety of all the elemental countries."_

_What does Himura have in store for Naruto? What is this place, the Hulle Granz Cathedral? How will Jiraiya react to Naruto's intimate knowledge of the Rasengan? How will Sasuke's training be different, without the curse seal interfering? How hard will Neji fall when Naruto knocks him down from his pedestal?_

_Next time, in A Simple Change: The Sharingan Vol. 1: Rebirth "_The Secret of the Hulle Granz Cathedral".

_Things are really heating up! Stick around to find out just how far things go!_

**— o.0.O.O.0.o — **

**A/N This is not a sequel to ASCTR. This doesn't have anything to do with ASCTR.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, Rurouni Kenshin, or (Dot) Hack**

**Ah! The edited version! Complete with Neji and Hinata's fight!**

**I'm going to put an "Ending Theme" in the last chapter, so I'm going to make it easier on myself by starting the voting now. Here are your choices:**

**Final Fantasy 10: **Suteki da ne by Rikki

**Cowboy Bebop: **The Real Folk Blues, See You Space Cowboy, or Blue by Yoko Kanno

**Dot Hack:** Tasogare no Umi, Yasashii Yoake, or Thousand Nights One Night by See Saw

**Ninpou: Kuchiyose no Gongen — Ninja Art: Avatar's Summoning — I'll explain this later, when another person displays this ability…like Gaara.**

**Taiyoushin Ittou Tansen — Sun God's Single Strike Edge  
Naruto's first original Jutsu (during his second chance, anyway). A sort of mimicry of Kakashi's "Raikiri". Consumes an ungodly amount of chakra. It turns the chakra concentrated to one's fist into hot flames. The user remains unharmed, but anything else that touches it will feel as if they had been stricken by the sun. Thus its name. It is also very much advised that you have the Sharingan as well. If you miss and can't keep Taiyoushin Ittou Tansen active, you're a goner.**

**Sessha— I'm going to steal this little tidbit from Rurouni Kenshin. It means "This one". It's a very humble way to describe oneself. Naruto will use it during the beginning of his relationship with Hinata. Since Naruto is the "Bane of Konoha", he will feel he isn't worthy of Hinata's affection.**

**Sessha wa kansa shiteiru desu. Sore kare wa desu. — This one is thankful. That he is.**

**Aishiteru — I love you**

**Updates will be slow for all my stories, due primarily to the new school year.**

**Steadfast, my friends, and good luck.**

**James Daniel Fawkes**

**_James Daniel Fawkes_ (Signature best viewed in _Wendy Medium_ font style)**


	6. The Secret of the Hulle Granz Cathedral

**A Simple Change: The Sharingan Volume 1: Rebirth**

**By:** James D. Fawkes

**Chapter Six: The Secret of the Hulle Granz Cathedral**

**— o.0.O.O.0.o — **

Sandaime reread the decrepit scroll in front of him, pondering the meaning of the faded words inscribed upon it:

_Unknown where the Cursed Wave was born…_

_After the stars doth cross the heavens,_

_The sky in the East doth darken and air doth fill with mourning._

_From the chosen land within the leaves, a sign of the wave comes._

_Riding the Wave is Skeith, the Shadow of Death, to drown all that stands._

_Mirage of Deceit, Innis, Betray all with the flawed image, and did aid the Wave._

_And by the Power of Magus, a drop from the Wave doth reach the heavens, and creates a new Wave._

_With the Wave, Fidchell, the power to tell the dark future, hope darkens, sadness and despair rule._

_Gorre schemes when swallowed by the Cursed Wave._

_Macha seduces with the sweet trap._

_Wave reaches the Pinnacle, and escape none can. Tarvos still remains with more cruelty to punish and destroy._

_And with the turbulent destruction after the Wave only a void remains. From deep within the void arrives Corbenik._

_Perhaps then the Wave is just a beginning as well._

"_I can see why the Lightning Country was so eager to get its hands on the fabled Byakugan,"_ Sandaime admitted. _"I'll have to thank Jiraiya for swiping this."_

The old Hokage took a long drag on his pipe, setting the wrinkled yellow paper on his desk and moving towards the very edge of his office. He gazed out of the window, at the setting sun and the monument settled just beneath its fiery orb. The Fourth's steely eyes gazed back at him.

"The Cloud had good reason to be scared, Arashi," the Third spoke, not expecting an answer. "It seems your son has become greater than we thought. To think, Naruto-kun is the prophesized start of a revolution. 'The Shadow of Death'. I guess that explains the behemoth he called forth during the exam, doesn't it?"

Sarutobi turned around again, sparing another glance at the words written on the ancient parchment. _"If this is to be believed, then it is safe to assume that Uchiha Sasuke is Tarvos the Avenger, Haruno Sakura is Innis the Mirage of Deceit, and Aburame Shino is Magus the Propagation."_

The old man took another puff from his pipe, mulling the information over in his mind. Most of the things written in the scroll made a lot of sense, especially when one considered just how anxious and zealous Hidden Cloud had been about taking the Hyuga's bloodline for themselves. They had been trying to find something to combat this "Wave" the prophecy spoke of. And this "Wave" was supposed originate from Konoha, starting with Naruto.

The thing that really threw the Third for a loop was _how_ this foretelling had come about and whether or not it was _accurate_. The chances of the Cloud Village's prediction actually coming true were very slim, but Naruto's recent power spike and the creature he had summoned seemed to support this theory. Besides, if Kumogakure really believed it, then it had to have _some_ validity.

The Sandaime concluded that, whether or not the prophecy was real, the mere possibility that it might fulfill itself was an even better reason to have a task force like Tsuki no Ki created. In this case, the benefits of such a specialized squad far outweighed the downsides.

— o.0.O.O.0.o —

"Where are we, Shishou?" Naruto asked. Himura had grabbed him the moment he left the hospital after visiting Hinata, immediately using Shunshin to bring them both to this strange place.

An old, run down church stood in front of him, hidden amongst the foliage. Vines crept up the mossy brick and over the — amazingly — still standing roof. One of the double doors hung loose, held only by the middle and bottom hinge. One of the dusty stain-glass windows had shattered, pieces of it lying in the earth nearby.

"This is the Hidden Forbidden Holy Land," Himura said quietly, walking towards the decrepit doors. "This is the Hulle Granz Cathedral, where select few are allowed to enter and gaze upon the secrets within."

"Select few?" Naruto puzzled. "Like who?"

"Jinchuuriki," came the reply. "There are others, but most Jinchuuriki who have heard of this place visit at least once. The other people allowed to see it usually happen upon it by accident."

As they neared the doors, Naruto heard something. He strained his ears, wondering what it was, and it got louder as they came closer to the Cathedral.

_I-e-yu-i_

_No-bo-me-e-nu_

_Re-en-mi-ri_

_Yu-ju-yo-o-go_

"Shishou…is this music I'm hearing?"

Himura nodded as they walked through the doors, and the music suddenly quadrupled in volume. "It is unknown exactly how that music plays, considering that this Cathedral is abandoned, but many theorize it is some sort of Ninjutsu or Genjutsu."

_Hasa-teka-na-e_

_Ku-ta-ma-a-e_

"Many others think it is magic."

They continued in silence down the open space between the two sets of dusty pews on either side of the Cathedral, padding softly across the marble floors. Naruto looked down at the dirty floors, frowning at all the grime and mess. If this place was as sacred as his Shishou was claiming, then it would make sense that someone would come in and clean every once in a while, but it didn't seem that way.

Naruto's eyes traveled to his bound right arm. He'd gotten some small belts and used them to secure his sleeve to his arm. Two on his upper biceps, right beneath his shoulder, one on his lower biceps, right above his elbow. Another two clung to him tightly, just beneath his elbow, and the final two clasped just above his wrist. He didn't want to chance anyone seeing his new seal, lest some get the wrong idea. He knew he couldn't hide it from the Hyuga, but it was _some_ comfort that the seal would only appear when he molded the fox's youki.

Naruto could not help the surprise that filled him as they reached the altar. There was a square shaped indentation on the top, a rim going around the edge of it. Pure, untainted water filled the indentation, sparkling in the setting sun that filtered in through the stain-glass window behind the altar.

"Shishou," Naruto started hesitantly. "Why are we here?"

Himura's eyes drifted closed and his left hand flitted delicately over the majestic rim, "It is a tradition in the Hiten Mitsurugi style that each practitioner brings his apprentice here, so that they may enhance their weapons. My Shishou did it for me, and now I do it for you."

"What do we do?" Naruto asked. "How do we enhance my weapon?"

Himura's hand reached over, tugging Masamune from its scabbard. He set it down across the rim gently, cupping his hands and drizzling water over the blade. Then, from his kimono, he pulled a cloth, a calligraphy brush, and an inkbottle. With the cloth, he dried the water and drew intricate seals over the tempered steel.

As he drizzled more water onto it, the seals disappeared into the sword, leaving it unblemished again. He stepped away, motioning between it and Naruto, "Pour some of your chakra into the seals I just drew. Allow some of the water to mix with your chakra and the steel of your sword. Depending on how much chakra you use and whether or not you add the demon's chakra, Masamune will gain new and greater powers."

Nodding, Naruto leaked a mixture of his chakra and the fox's youki, draining as much of it as he dared into the polished metal of his katana. Slowly, delicately, he let the amount of chakra he was releasing taper off, the glow around his hands receding.

Naruto's eyes widened as Masamune began to glow, morphing and twisting beneath his gaze. The black cloth that had been wrapped around the hilt brightened, changing to a vibrant crimson. A similar red consumed the outer rim of the hand-guard, though the blade remained the same stoic silver. A small scarlet tassel, nearly half as long as Naruto's forearm, sprouted from the bronze cap at the bottom of the hilt, fluttering softly in the gentle whirlwind of chakra.

Hesitantly, shakily, Naruto reached out, grasping the weapon's hilt loosely, "Is it still…Masamune?"

Himura shook his head gently, "No. This metamorphosis has given it a new name, but what name it has taken, I do not know. You must discover that for yourself, much like your friend had to discover the name of his katana, to unlock the true powers hidden within."

"Shishou," Naruto said, "Before we go, I have one last question. What does the water do to spark this metamorphosis?"

Himura seemed to ignore him as they walked back towards the doors again, only to stop right as they were about leave. Without turning, he replied, "Even I do not know that for sure."

— o.0.O.O.0.o —

(1) "You did great, Musume," Hiashi said quietly. Gently, he brushed a few stray hairs from his sleeping daughter's face. "It truly saddens me that you will not accept the title of heir. I can tell that you would make for a fine and true Clan Head. You would do what I could not."

Hiashi let out a sigh, a sad smile playing across his lips. Delicately, as if afraid she would shatter like glass, he cupped her pale cheek, running the pad of his thumb underneath the expanse below her left eye. "You look so much like your mother. And you act much like she did, too. I suppose, you received all of her kindness and gentle caring."

There was a soft click as the door to Hinata's hospital room opened and closed, and the person on the way in suddenly stopped. "If I'm interrupting, Hiashi-san, I can come back later."

A smile made its way to Hiashi's face, and he turned in his chair, gesturing for the person to sit down next to him, "No, no. Come on in, Naruto-kun."

Nodding, Naruto sat down next to Hiashi, slightly tense. The man had a commanding presence that tended to leave you on edge, no matter how you tried to relieve the pressure. It was one of the many 'abilities' Naruto aspired to have when he became Hokage, so that it would be hard for people to say anything derogatory about him (particularly the elders).

"You love her, don't you?" Hiashi's voice broke Naruto from his musings, his head whipping around to meet the Hyuga's soft gaze.

Naruto turned back to Hinata, running the pad of his thumb over the back of her palm. He'd grabbed her hand subconsciously sometime during his thoughts. A gentle smile broke out over his face, "Yeah. She's everything I want and all of what I don't deserve."

"Nonsense," the elder man told him. "I wouldn't feel comfortable leaving Hinata in anyone's care but yours. You are everything she _needs_."

Naruto planted a kiss on Hinata's cheek and stood, smiling. With a short bow, Naruto turned to leave, "Thank you, Hiashi-san."

— o.0.O.O.0.o —

"_How did I get roped into this?"_ Jiraiya asked himself, correcting Naruto's mistake for the fourth time that hour. The brat had tricked him into training him for the Chuunin Exam Finals, how, Jiraiya was still trying to figure out.

The perverted sage had been quite surprised at how much ease Naruto had picked up the Rasengan with. It was almost like the boy had already known it and the steps that were involved. Of course, when asked, the boy denied previous knowledge of the Fourth's prized technique, but Jiraiya had the sneaking suspicion that not everything was as it seemed with the blonde haired Jinchuuriki.

"No, no, no! Like this!" Jiraiya was trying to help Naruto learn an effective counter-style for the Hyuga's Gentle Fist Taijutsu. Without the aid of his Sharingan, Naruto was having a hard time matching the sloppy moves the Gama Sennin was showing him.

Jiraiya had to admit that his 'special' anti-Hyuga Taijutsu, the epitome of his years of 'experience', wasn't really all that it could be. In fact, he'd wager that Naruto himself would have better luck inventing a style to fight against the Gentle Fist, having a Hyuga on his team himself. Of course, he'd never admit that to Naruto, or else he'd never hear the end of it.

The perverted old man felt a bit of déjà vu settle in his gut as he watched Naruto pick up the moves more quickly, if a bit inaccurately, than any other ninja he'd seen, excluding the Fourth Hokage, Naruto's father. Arashi had been Jiraiya's prized pupil, and nobody, not even the powerful man's son, would be able to take that place in Jiraiya's heart.

The Toad Hermit couldn't help but admit that Naruto was quickly worming his way into his list of 'Precious People', despite Jiraiya's original reluctance to teach him. Naruto was just that kind of person that you couldn't ignore. He had that air around him that immediately dragged you in, and you couldn't help but like him.

Jiraiya smiled. Naruto might not be a replacement for the Fourth Hokage, but he was certainly someone that Sandaime's old student wanted around. Hell, even Orochimaru would have trouble _not_ warming up to Naruto should he spend enough time around the boy.

— o.0.O.O.0.o —

Naruto couldn't help the frown that crossed his face as he walked the streets of Konoha, hands in his pockets. By all accounts, he should be in a good mood. Hinata had signed the summoning scroll for Corbenik, Sasuke didn't have the Cursed Seal, Haku and Zabuza, though on probation, were alive and well, and he'd even discovered the name of his new and improved sword.

But there was something bothering Naruto, something he couldn't solve easily. Everything seemed so…dull. He may have changed the future for the better, but something was still missing, something that would make everything exciting again.

That was why Naruto was strolling down Konoha's roads, instead of training with Jiraiya or visiting Hinata. He needed to find out what was missing, what was keeping him from enjoying his time and his life. He should be happy that things were as great as they were.

"Shinji-kun! Wait up!" Naruto's eyes flew upwards, locking onto a plainly dressed azure-haired girl with red eyes and pale, porcelain skin, much like Hinata's. She looked to be about fourteen. She was jogging towards a solitary figure, standing with a playful frown on her face as she reached him. "I thought I told you to wait for me!"

"Come on, Rei-chan," the brown-haired boy said, a smile on his face. He didn't look any older than the girl. He was dressed rather plainly, too. His hair was short, his bangs going no further than his eyebrows. "Don't look at me like that."

The girl huffed, pulling a stray hair from her eyes. Her hair wasn't very long either. All of it was about the same length, reaching to about her neck. She put her hands on her hips, tapping her foot.

"Fine," the blue eyed boy said, sighing in mock frustration. "I'm sorry, okay?"

The girl, Rei, smiled, linking her arm with his as they walked away. She seemed satisfied with his apology, even though he didn't really mean it, even though he wasn't sincere. They were just playing, just joking around. They weren't serious, they were just having fun.

Naruto smiled himself, having found what he was looking for. They would probably never know it, but Shinji and Rei had just shown him something special. They had shown him something he needed to see. They had shown him what he was missing.

— o.0.O.O.0.o —

Gaara walked into Lee's room, his bloodshot eyes staring intensely at the whiteness in front of him. He strode slowly, purposefully towards the bed containing the spandex wearing Taijutsu specialist, his intent clear to all with at least three brain cells.

His right hand shot outwards as his left clenched at his hair, his breathing deep as sand steadily poured from his gourd. It swirled around Lee's bed, then slowly crept upwards, attempting to encase the boy in a cocoon of dirt particles.

Suddenly, as if out of nowhere, a fist collided with his cheek, sending him sprawling backwards. As the shock wore off, Gaara straightened, a small bit of his Suna no Yoroi, his armor of sand, flaking off of his face.

Naruto stood in front of him, his scarf and coat replaced by a large-collared black jacket. It was designed similarly to the jacket Naruto had worn before, in that a strip of fabric, crimson this time, traveled down either side of the zipper. The sleeves were still long and gray, the small belts clamping his right sleeve onto his arm. Two normal belts crisscrossed on his waist, forming an "X" shape over his black cargo pants, their golden buckles glinting slightly in the miniscule sunlight.

Shikamaru stood not too far off, "Ow! Damn it, Naruto, I feel what he feels, remember?"

"What are you doing?" Naruto ignored Shikamaru, a scowl on his face.

"To release so much killing intent," Shikamaru frowned. "Why are you trying to kill Lee-san?"

Naruto snarled, "Do you have some kind of grudge?"

"No," Gaara said. "I do not. It's not something that complicated. I'm going to kill him just because I want to."

"Oh yeah?" said Shikamaru. "Well, we're not going to let you do that. I mean, hey, you're strong, but we were holding back in the prelims, too. Right now, two against one, you don't stand a chance."

"You get in my way, you are dead," Gaara seemed unfazed by Shikamaru's comment.

"I'd like to see you try!" Naruto shouted, clenching his fist.

"Naruto," Shikamaru hissed. "Shut up! This guy's a monster!"

"So?" Naruto hissed back. "I've got a _real_ monster in me! He's nothing!"

"A real monster, you say?" Gaara seemed slightly intrigued. "I was born a monster. I came into this world by taking the life of the woman I would have called mother. My father created me in order to be Suna's ultimate weapon. I was spoiled and allowed to do whatever I pleased. But starting when I was six, my father tried countless times to assassinate me."

"Wait," Shikamaru said. "I thought you said you were spoiled?"

"A being too strong can become an existence of fear," Gaara didn't really specify if that was his answer or if he was just continuing his story. "Everyone hated me, and I found myself wondering why I went on with life. Why do I exist? Why do I live? I could find no answer. But everyone needs a reason to live, or else it's the same as being dead. Finally, I came to this conclusion. 'I exist to kill everyone but myself.' As long as there are people for me to kill, I will not vanish."

"The Hell?" Shikamaru was surprised.

"Now," sand rose, gushing at high speed in the direction of Naruto and his companion. "Let me feel _ali—!_"

The sand suddenly fell to the floor as Gaara made eye contact with Naruto's whirling Sharingan, his face frozen in a look of shock. Gaara doubled over, clenching his head with his hands and screaming, his sand writhing and twisting on the floor, as if in pain.

Slowly, the demonic sand ninja walked backwards, heading towards the window, his sand following him obediently. His pain seemed to have lessened by the time he reached his goal, since he wasn't doubled over anymore, but he still appeared to be struggling with something.

"Regardless," he turned before he left, his right eye shut and his breathing labored. "I will kill you guys."

— o.0.O.O.0.o —

Day of the finals…

"Right then," Genma stepped between the two Genin, glancing at Naruto and Neji. "You guys are up first, so put on a good show. Begin!"

Neji sneered, dropping into a stance, "It'll be fun to see you fall to pieces when you discover reality."

Naruto glared, resisting the urge to end it in the quickest most painful way possible. He wanted Neji to realize just how much of a jackass he was. He wanted Neji to see the error of his ways. And, most of all, he wanted to see Neji crumble under his greater skills.

Veins emerged on his cheeks as Neji's Byakugan flared to life, a superior smirk stuck on his lips. Naruto's own doujutsu came to life, whirling as his red eyes bore into Neji's light purple. Most others would be intimidated. Neji was not.

Hiashi's sight gave him enough detail for him to tell what was going on, and he couldn't help but anticipate the fight, excitement flooding through his body. He was also slightly conflicted. Who should he root for?

"Hanabi," Hiashi's youngest daughter turned as she was addressed. "Make sure to watch this match closely. You're about to see what the Kazama clan's last member can do, and you're about to see how he trumps your cousin."

"You shouldn't have gotten involved that night, Uzumaki," Neji's eyes narrowed. "I might still have a father if it hadn't been for you and your wretched meddling. Today, fate has given me a chance to take my revenge."

"How like you, Neji," Naruto's expression never shifted. "You blame events beyond your control either on fate, or one of the parties involved. In this case, you blame the Main family and myself for the demise of your father. As such, you jumped at the chance to hurt a Main family member, and the fact that she was romantically involved with me was an added bonus."

To the onlookers, it was impossible to see, but Naruto saw Neji's eyebrow twitch and his lips tighten. For the first time in his life, Neji was on the receiving end of his 'analytical criticism', and he didn't appear very comfortable to be on the other side of the line. It was all Naruto could do not to smirk.

"Even if you are right," Neji's momentum was returning. "Fate has doomed you to defeat by making me your opponent. There is no way for you to win."

"Let's see," Naruto mimicked his enemy's stance, "Just how Fate measures up against _me_."

Neji snarled, rushing Naruto with a powerful Gentle Fist strike. Naruto brushed it aside with his left hand, his right palm launching itself into the Hyuga's unguarded torso. With a gasp, Neji flew backwards several feet, clutching at the painful sting in his chest. Naruto shifted back into his stance. He hadn't added chakra, so Neji would be fine.

Neji rushed forward again, sending another attack the blonde's way. It was deflected. The follow up blow came and was blocked, finding it impossible to make it passed Naruto's defense. Neji could feel himself becoming frustrated. Nothing he did made it past his enemy's guard.

Another Juken attack, negated by a nearly identical one from Naruto. Neji held back a wince, the blonde's overwhelming chakra singeing his skin. He sent his palm soaring downwards, intent on closing a vital chakra point in Naruto's right thigh. It was blocked again, as though Naruto could read his mind and knew where he'd strike next.

Neji stifled a gasp, attention latching onto Naruto's crimson eyes, the whirling tomoe pattern staring back at him. Three tomoes. Naruto had three tomoes in each of his Sharingan eyes, which meant that he _could_ predict Neji's moves, nearly two seconds before Neji made them. That made things a lot harder for the Hyuga genius, since his opponent knew what was going to happen before it happened, as long as it was within his vision, peripheral or otherwise.

To test his new theory, Neji sent one last strike at Naruto as fast as he could, putting as much speed on it as he could. As he thought, Naruto copied his movements, right down the chakra added to his palm. That meant that Neji had only one course of action to take.

Neji flung himself away, panting as he glared, "It seems you are stronger than I anticipated, but even you will crumble beneath the power Fate has given to me."

The Hyuga prodigy twisted into a new stance, "You are within the field of my eight tri-grams!"

Naruto grinned, running into the attack head on, Sharingan whirling at nigh improbable speeds.

"Two strikes!" Four hands zoomed forth, hitting each other and canceling the attack. Naruto's Sharingan continued to spin quickly.

"Four strikes!" the stalemate continued as Naruto blocked Neji's palms and fingers with his own counterattacks. Neji's frustration grew.

"Eight strikes!" Once more, the Hyuga's technique failed to complete its task. Not one single strike had hit home on Naruto's dark clothed body.

"Sixteen strikes! Thirty two strikes!" flesh smacked loudly and chakra boomed. For every blow that Neji threw out, Naruto had a block for it. It was like attacking a mirror.

"Sixty four palms of Hakke!" Neji growled, his Byakugan revealing to him that his ultimate technique had been negated, by the _dead last_ no less. The Hyuga clan elders were probably laughing their asses off at him right now.

Naruto jumped back a bit as Neji attempted to catch his breath. He'd been a bit unsure that it'd work, considering that it had been the first time he'd done such a thing. Since Hinata was his teammate, he had plenty of practice _dodging_ the Gentle Fist style, but he'd never tried to counter the Juken with Juken. It had been an area of unknowns for him.

Neji tried to growl some more, but, in his breathless state, it came out as little more than a grunt. His clincher, his finishing move, his most powerful technique, the Hakke Rokujuu Yon Sho, had been not only negated, but it had been negated by _another_ Hakke Rokujuu Yon Sho. Never, in his entire lifetime, had any of his opponents, Hyuga or not, countered his attack with the _same_ attack. It baffled him.

"Himura-shishou," Naruto said evenly, slowly going through hand seals. He had to do this right, or it could blow up in his face, "Himura-shishou lacks a large chakra capacity, making it difficult for him to use consecutive Nin and Genjutsu, like most people his age. In this sense, he is similar to your teammate, Lee. But Himura-shishou found a different solution than using purely Taijutsu or Kenjutsu.

"Instead, he invented a series of highly efficient, low chakra-consuming Jutsu that he calls 'Hakudo'. It takes a hell of a lot of chakra control, but if you do it right, the rewards are amazing. However, as he has never had a student, he had no one to pass these 'Hakudo' on to…until he met me."

Neji felt a great chakra pressure hone in on him as Naruto finished the last seal, "Hakudo Number 43: Jumon no Gimu-teki!" (Spiritual Movement 43: Spell of Binding)

Neji's elbows suddenly bent, his wrists seeming to glue together behind his back. His knees snapped together as well, leaving his ankles as the only things keeping his balance. He felt his legs shudder, his ability to stand pulled into question by this strange technique that had befallen him.

"It seems that the Genius prodigy of the Hyuga clan has been defeated by the dead last," Naruto walked up to Neji at a leisurely pace, leaning down to hiss something at the boy's face, "If you ever hurt Hinata-chan again, I'll use one of the more…violent Hakudo."

There was a loud crash as Neji collided with the stadium wall, sent by a painful roundhouse kick from Naruto. There were a few words spoken, then a simple "Kai" and Neji's body relaxed as the Hakudo was released. He was definitely unconscious.

"Victor: Uzumaki Naruto!"

— o.0.O.O.0.o —

Hinata smiled as Naruto came up behind her, leaning back into his strong arms when he wrapped her in a loose hug. She whispered, "Congratulations, Naruto-kun."

"I forfeit!" Hinata looked up as the boy called Kankuro resigned from his match, waving one hand in the air. The Kages had agreed to move Sasuke's match to the very last, since a majority of the crowd desired to see the battle between the last Uchiha and the sand's prodigy, Gaara.

She was surprised that Kankuro would forfeit. He'd seemed too full of himself, so cocky when she'd first met him. Gaara's arrival had been the only thing to shake his resolve in bullying Konohamaru, but even then, he'd still maintained that 'I'm better than you' attitude towards Konoha ninja.

Temari and Shikamaru's match was after that (Naruto had to throw Shikamaru into the ring), and Temari won after her opponent gave up, complaining of chakra exhaustion and how everything was 'too troublesome'. Hinata couldn't help but feel slightly disappointed about Shikamaru's throwing in the towel. It was so…anticlimactic.

After another ten minute extension, the man they'd all been waiting for, Uchiha Sasuke, appeared at last. Apparently, he'd inherited his sense of timing from Kakashi.

Naruto grinned, shouting one thing down into the stadium, "You're late!"

— o.0.O.O.0.o —

Next time…

"_Show me your hatred! Let me feel…**alive!**"_

_Sasuke's battle is up next, so it's going to be fun to see what happens. Will his training be enough to take down the bloodthirsty beast, Gaara? No! Even with all of his extra training, even with all of the strength and power he's gained, Sasuke can't stand up to Gaara's Shukaku enhanced state. "I promise you mother, this blood will be **much** better!"_

"_Your hatred isn't strong enough!"_

_Who will step up to the plate and take over where Sasuke failed? Naruto, of course! Now, with his new sword in his corner and all of the Jutsu he's learned and altered up his sleeve, how will Naruto fare against the infamous Demon of the Sand? Here's his chance! The Shadow of Death will prove himself worthy!_

"_**Graaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!**" Whoa! Looks like Skeith is having fun, too! _

_Next time, in A Simple Change: The Sharingan Vol. 1: Rebirth "_Curse of the Sand".

_The battle of the demons begins! Who will win this crazy fight?_

**— o.0.O.O.0.o — **

**A/N Since so many people decided they wanted a better version of chapter six, I decided to write one (and believe me, it wasn't easy). Anyway, I hope you liked it.**

**PS: Naruto's new sword has been renamed "Zansatsuka". I'll tell you what it means later.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, Rurouni Kenshin, or (Dot) Hack**

**I'm going to put an "Ending Theme" in the last chapter, so I'm going to make it easier on myself by starting the voting now. Here are your choices:**

**Final Fantasy 10: **Suteki da ne by Rikki (VI)

**Cowboy Bebop: **The Real Folk Blues (II), See You Space Cowboy (I), or Blue(I) by Yoko Kanno

**Dot Hack:** Tasogare no Umi, Yasashii Yoake (I), or Thousand Nights One Night (I) by See Saw

**Another one joins the race: Big O: **And Forever by Naoki Takao

**Ninpou: Kuchiyose no Gongen — Ninja Art: Avatar's Summoning — I'll explain this later, when another person displays this ability…like Gaara.**

**1— Musume means Daughter — Press "Ctrl + F" then search for (1) twice to go to where it's used. **

**Taiyoushin Ittou Tansen — Sun God's Single Strike Edge  
Naruto's first original Jutsu (during his second chance, anyway). A sort of mimicry of Kakashi's "Raikiri". Consumes an ungodly amount of chakra. It turns the chakra concentrated to one's fist into hot flames. The user remains unharmed, but anything else that touches it will feel as if they had been stricken by the sun. Thus its name. It is also very much advised that you have the Sharingan as well. If you miss and can't keep Taiyoushin Ittou Tansen active, you're a goner.**

**So, tell me what you think. Should the old man die? Don't get me wrong, I just want you guys' opinions. I've not decided for sure whether or not I'll kill him, but if he dies or if he lives, it won't change the story much at all. The Sandaime is fairly unimportant to the plot, but he does have his points. In the end, no matter what you guys want, it's totally up to me. I won't change my plans just because one or two of you asks.**

**Alright, with that out of the way, I'll give you bit of info. This story, ASCTSV1R, will only last till about the end of the Search for Tsunade Arc. After that, it'll be done and I'll start work on the sequel, "A Simple Change: The Sharingan Vol. 2: Reminisce".**

**A Simple Change: The Sharingan Vol. 2: Reminisce:  
_Sometimes, as we move towards the future, it is best to remember the past NaruHina SasuSaku KakaRin_**

**It will be another time travel fic…but it'll have an even better twist than this one, and I think a few people will kill me for what I have planned for Sasuke to do in the first chapter. But it's awesome, at least, in my opinion. G.U. fans should be familiar with how Sasuke acts in Chapter One.**

**After Vol. 2, Vol. 3: At a Walking Pace, will be a one-shot about Naruto's life as a Hokage…and a father. (And trust me, it'll be a LONG one-shot).**

**And that is the "_Hitotsu no Tanjun na Henko: Sono Sharingan Ichikan: Saisei, Hitotsu no Tanjun na Henko: Sono Sharingan Nikan: Kaiso Suru, Hitotsu no Tanjun na Henko: Sono Sharingan Sankan: Aruku you na Hayasa de_" three part series, more commonly known as "A Simple Change: The Sharingan".**

**Aishiteru — I love you**

**Updates will be slow for all my stories, due primarily to the new school year.**

**Steadfast, my friends, and good luck.**

**James Daniel Fawkes**

**_James Daniel Fawkes_ (Signature best viewed in _Wendy Medium_ font style)**


	7. Curse of the Sand

**A Simple Change: The Sharingan Volume 1: Rebirth**

**By: **James D. Fawkes

**Chapter Seven: Curse of the Sand**

**— o.0.O.O.0.o — **

Sasuke cursed softly, dodging another barrage of sand. The match had just started, and the Sunagakure prodigy was already pulling out all of the stops. At the rate things were moving, he'd loose before the match had even started.

"What's wrong, Uchiha?" Gaara taunted, a haunting, bloodthirsty grin stretched across his lips. "Are you _scared? Scared_ of my power?!"

"_Guess there's no other option,"_ Sasuke resigned, a grim smile on his mouth. With a spin and the 'snap' of Velcro, four heavy weights flew from the raven-haired boy's limbs, embedding themselves in various parts of the arena. The crowd cheered excitedly, obviously understanding what was going on.

In a split second, Sasuke had gone from dodging away from the sand demon's constant assault to running circles around the crimson haired boy. Particles of dirt and dust scattered as the last Uchiha's speed brought Gaara's ultimate defense crumbling down. The crowd's yells grew in volume.

Sasuke pulled off a half spin, narrowly missing being hit by the blast of sand that had just flitted past his right side. Having reached passed the wall of defense and moved into Gaara's guard, he delivered a strong roundhouse kick to sand-nin's cheek, sending him flying. Fortunately for Gaara, his sand moved and cushioned his fall.

Gaara scowled darkly, his hands moving viciously into a seal, his eyes wide and bloodshot. With a swooshing sound, his sand rose up, encasing him in a nearly perfect sphere. Not a single grain of sand was out of place, not a single hole was present in this deceptively weak-looking orb. Then, rising from the circular prison, an eye became visible, attached only to air.

Temari and Kankuro gasped.

"Y-you don't think…?" Temari stuttered, unable to voice what seemed to be a horrible event in the making.

"Y-yeah…" Kankuro answered the unfinished question, his speech shaky. "I-it's _that_ Jutsu all right."

Sasuke scoffed, pulling his sword from its scabbard on his back. With a flick of his wrist, the sword's blade bit into the ground, spiked pillars rising into the air in the form of a row, "Doton: Yama One no Ugoki no Chikyuu!" (Earth Style: Mountain Ridge of Earth's Movement)

The spikes crashed into the ball of sand one after another, much like a wave, kicking up dust and throwing small chunks of soil and dirt into the air. Even with the Sharingan flaring in his eyes, Sasuke couldn't see past the cloud obscuring his vision. But he had a bad feeling, and his bad feelings usually proved right.

The smoke cleared to reveal the intact sphere, looking as if nothing had happened at all. Not a single grain of sand was out of place, nor had any holes made themselves a spot on Gaara's ultimate defense. It was more of an impenetrable fortress than anything.

With flourish, Shin΄enga found its sheath again, safely tucked to Sasuke's back. Then, with a few fancy flips, Sasuke had put a larger distance between himself Gaara, crouched comfortably on the side of a wall. As he flitted through hand seals, a few words of advice came back to him.

"_Well, looks like three is your limit," Kakashi mused stoically. "If you try to do more than that, worst case scenario, you'll die."_

"_So I've got three shots at this,"_ Sasuke smirked, bracing his left arm as blue electricity ignited around it. In a flash, he took off down the wall, leaving a line of destruction in the wake of his charged hand.

A mere second seemed to pass as Sasuke left the solid concrete of the stadium wall and crossed the ground between himself and his opponent. Then, faster than most of the spectators could follow, Sasuke' hand had sunk into the sphere surrounding Gaara, hand reaching into the darkness.

A strangled, high-pitched scream echoed across the area, "_BLOOD_? IS THIS _MY_ BLOOD? IT HURTS!! IT _HURTS_!!"

— o.0.O.O.0.o —

Naruto scowled as he followed the vague trail Sasuke and Gaara had left, Hinata and Pakkun next to him. Shikamaru had stayed behind earlier to stop the ninja tailing them, and Shino was facing off against Kankuro. Now, Naruto was half torn between going after Gaara and heading back to help Sandaime.

He knew the old man could take care of himself, he wasn't a Hokage for nothing, but the Sandaime had entered his battle with Orochimaru expecting to die. If Naruto wasn't fast enough, the aged Hokage might just bite the dust. He'd have to summon Skeith if he had any hope of returning in time, but he wanted to take Gaara out without the beast's special strength.

That left Naruto with a conundrum. His sword wasn't strong enough to bring the demon of the sand down all by itself, regardless of how powerful it had become. Naruto himself had a large repertoire of Jutsu, ranging from fire to lightning style, but he doubted most of them would be good enough to defeat Gaara. And then there was the issue of keeping Gaara alive to see the error of his ways. That narrowed his options drastically, leaving him with high speed Taijutsu and some sort of summoning. Shukaku's 'playtime' narrowed things down to Summoning.

A loud crash up ahead met Naruto's ears. Looks like his decision had been made, even if it was against his will. He would have to fight Gaara, then, if he was lucky, he might make it back to save the old man that treated him like a grandson.

The team of three passed quickly into the battlefield, and a terrifying sight froze the breath in their throats. Sasuke was sat leaning against a tree, trying to catch his breath, several cuts and bruises decorating his form. A number of trees away, Gaara, the left half of his body morphed beyond recognition, stood impatiently, looking more emotional than Naruto could ever recall seeing him.

"Ah," Gaara's demonic gaze flickered onto Naruto, a bloodthirsty grin threatening to split his face. "My _true_ prey arrives! Come on, Uzumaki!"

"Hinata-chan," Naruto whispered, glancing towards her. "Take Sasuke and head back. I'll handle this guy."

A large paw made of sand flew past, picking up Hinata and pinning her to a tree. Her head collided hard with the wood, knocking her out cold. Slowly, the arm retracted, leaving the paw to trap Hinata where she was. Naruto turned a steely glare onto the Sand ninja, his lips drawn into a tight snarl.

"No one is going anywhere!" Gaara's voice was louder than ever. "Now fight me, Uzumaki!"

Naruto's Sharingan flared into action as he flew at the demon of the Sand, sword drawn and chakra roaring. With a battle cry, Naruto brought his sword downwards in a vertical slice. Gaara's arm of sand rose up, blocking it with visible ease.

With a shove, Naruto pushed himself away, landing on a branch nearby. Without pause, he crossed his arm in front of his body, preparing an attack that his new weapon afforded him. A powerful swing sent an arc of blue flames racing towards Gaara, "Ruriiro Kaen Enko!"

The arm of sand was brought to bare a second time, stopping the attack again. A small but thick sheet of glass fell, shattering as it hit a tree branch. Gaara was unharmed, the sick, bloodthirsty still stretching across his morphed face.

"Is that the best you can do?" insanity gleamed in Gaara's eyes. "IS IT?"

A wave of Gaara's transformed left arm brought a rain of odd projectiles upon Naruto, "Sand Shuriken!"

Naruto swept through hand seals, throwing his palms up in a defensive maneuver, "Hakudo 23: Shogai no Boei!" (Spiritual Movement 23: Barrier of Defense)

A wall of purple chakra rose up, creating a small, centralized shield in front of Naruto's body. Gaara's shuriken bounced harshly up against it, attempting to break through. They failed miserably, disassembling into their base components as they collided with Naruto's latest Hakudo. Gaara snarled angrily.

"Sand Shuriken!" another wave of Gaara's arm brought a second barrage of the imitation ninja tools.

In a flash, the shield had dropped, dissipating into thin air. Naruto had just as quickly vacated the branch he had been on, hopping from tree to tree towards his enemy. Gaara's eyes widened, Naruto's foot clashing soundly with his chin in a way reminiscent of the precursor to Lee's Shadow Leaf Dance. A large chunk of Gaara's Suna no Yoroi fell.

Gaara caught himself as he flew, his mutated arm grabbing onto a branch. He swung himself up, landing crouched on the top of the branch. He grinned, giggling maniacally at the challenge his prey was presenting. It sent a thrill through his bones and a chill down his spine.

Naruto landed opposite him, right leg hovering in the air, ready to move should Gaara attack again. His pose was relaxed but tense at the same time, allowing him maximum mobility. He was perched delicately, making it easiest to escape swiftly.

Gaara motioned towards Naruto with his twisted arm, as if summoning something to happen on pure willpower alone, "Sabaku Kyu!" (Desert Coffin)

Naruto's eyes widened as sand crept up his body, catching him from behind, right where he had destroyed those Sand Shuriken with his shield. It began encasing him entirely, covering his entire form with the tiny dirt particles. Sasuke could only watch, horrified.

Gaara's grin turned bloodthirsty, his palm clenching shut, "Sabaku Soso!" (Desert Burial)

The sand covering Naruto imploded, crushing the blond ninja within. Gaara and Sasuke thought it was over, only to be baffled as smoke took the place of the raining blood Gaara had been hoping for. Naruto had escaped his deadly prison.

Then, from the trees above, Naruto dropped down in front of Gaara, his hands pushed up against the redhead's chest. Chakra gathered in his palms.

"Demon!" Naruto intoned. "Gaze in upon yourself and loathe the thing you have become! Annihilate your evil self! Hakudo 15: Hakai no Aku!" (Spiritual movement 15: Destruction of Evil)

The chakra gathered in Naruto's hands exploded outwards, sending Gaara reeling backwards, flying through the trees. Once again, Gaara latched onto a tree branch and righted himself, an excited grin on his face.

Naruto's Hakudo hadn't been in vain, however, because there were two holes where Naruto's hands had been, revealing charred skin that had to hurt horribly. But Gaara didn't seem to notice the potentially dangerous injuries he was sporting; his attention was focused solely on the joy he got from the fight. But if one looked close enough, there was a desperate gleam in the sand ninja's eyes.

Sand gathered around the redhead, encasing him completely. It began to grow, multiplying in size exponentially. Naruto bit back a curse as it quickly assumed the same massive proportions as Gamabunta, shifting into the shape that was obviously not human. The ugly form of Shukaku reared its hideous head.

Gaara appeared on the top of the beast's skull, the upper half of his body exposed to the world. His hands clasped into a seal, "Tanuki Neiri no Jutsu!" (In the English dub, "Play Possum Jutsu")

"Rrrrrrraaaaaaaagh!" the giant raccoon pulled its head back, releasing a raucous noise as the boy atop his head lost consciousness. "Time to have some fun!"

"Damn!" Naruto swore angrily, a snarl stretching the distance of his lips. "I was kind of hoping it wouldn't come to this!"

Demonic chakra swirled around Naruto, creating an aura of red. With an internal shove, the aura expanded, shifting and twisting till it morphed into a pillar. A scream tore from Naruto's mouth, "SKEITH!"

— o.0.O.O.0.o —

"We're sorry about this, Sarutobi," the Shodai Hokage intoned, his voice only slightly regretful. He stood, resplendent in his red armor, atop the roof where the Kazekage and Sandaime had been watching the finals. The Kazekage had been revealed as Orochimaru in disguise.

"Yes, sorry indeed," the Nidaime Hokage stood next to his brother, the Shodai. His tone seemed to lack sincerity as well, and both emotionless Hokage were probably made that way by the man who had summoned them from beyond their graves. "But we can't do anything to stop this."

As the brain controlling tags were inserted into his predecessors' bodies, Sarutobi observed a pillar of chakra rising in the distance, quickly morphing into the huge, hulking form of Skeith, the Shadow of Death. Sandaime couldn't help the smirk that crossed his face.

"No, my friends," he said calmly. "You need not worry what happens to me. The prophecy has already begun to fulfill itself. Even if I die, Naruto-kun shall carry on the Will of Fire and spread it to the people of Konoha."

"What are you talking about, you senile old fool?" Orochimaru cocked an eyebrow confidently, a superior smirk playing across his mouth. In his own mind, he was in control, and he was sure that one of his strongest pawns, Gaara, could take down whatever posed a threat to him and his plans.

"Look behind you, my wayward student, and you'll see the Shadow of Death at work!"

Orochimaru humored his ex-sensei, throwing a glance over his shoulder to where the aged Hokage was pointing. His eyes widened and his mouth dropped open as the thing that haunted his nightmares was shown to his eyes for a second time in corporeal form.

Skeith, the Shadow of Death, the creature that had so easily dispatched Orochimaru's summons, towered over the trees, standing about two hundred yards away from an equally as massive Shukaku. An imposing scythe was clutched in its clawed hands, the weapon's blade made purely of red chakra. A translucent cape of crimson fell from its waist almost to the forest floor, vaguely reminiscent of a cloak.

"N-no! It can't be!" Orochimaru stuttered, staring in horror at the manifestation of destruction. The one thing that could throw a wrench in his plans had made itself known to the world.

"Ah, but it is," Sarutobi was slightly smug. "The "Wave" has stirred within the depths of an ocean of ninja, and the boy controlling that beast is only Phase One! There are still seven more to go!"

— o.0.O.O.0.o —

"Single file, now!" Iruka called out over the raucous sounds of battle. He and the other teachers were leading the Academy students to the escape tunnels, other Chuunin and Jounin going to help the civilians. "Don't worry! We'll protect you from the enemy, no matter what!"

Iruka continued to usher the young students into the tunnels as fast as he could. There was little else he could do right now, and his job didn't include fighting off the invaders. The Jounin and combat Chuunin, as well as the ANBU, were to take care of that. His instructions for this kind of situation were to get the civilians and students into the evacuation passageways.

"Single fi—" Iruka stopped as a familiar chakra swept over him, freezing his heart in his chest and seizing up his muscles. He couldn't move no matter how much he tried. The feel of _that_ chakra was enough to make most people's blood run cold, and he was sure that his colleague's had felt it too, if the way they'd shuddered was any indication.

The feel of the Kyubi's thick youki settled in on most all of the village, laying heavily on their chests, as if trying to suffocate them. Few could forget the feel of the demon's foul chakra, and even fewer wanted to remember it. It was all that some could do to not just bend over and release their lunch.

Iruka, despite the repressed shivers traveling through his body, couldn't help but hope that Naruto was okay and unharmed.

Then, he saw it. A huge, hulking black form in the distance, standing up against an equally as large beige form…

— o.0.O.O.0.o —

Naruto tried desperately to calm his nerves, squashing down his apprehension of using Skeith again. The last time he'd summoned the behemoth, the beast had gone berserk and nearly killed not only Orochimaru, but Naruto, Kyubi, Sasuke, Hinata, and, if it'd been allowed, it'd have killed several other ninja as well. After Skeith was summoned, the only way to stop it if it went berserk was to destroy it with another Avatar. Right now, the list of people he knew had a chance of doing that was comprised of two people: Gaara and Hinata.

Naruto twirled his/Skeith's scythe, slashing one of Shukaku's attacks in half. Another slash destroyed the second attack and a jab with the end of the pole decimated the third. Naruto seemed to be on autopilot as he brought the blade down, cleaving Shukaku's right arm clear off his shoulder. It fell, disintegrating into sand.

On a suggestion made by Skeith, Naruto threw his left arm out, palm facing towards Shukaku. He concentrated chakra to his hand, then let it loose. He could honestly say he was surprised by the results, though they were less spectacular than he might have hoped.

An orb of red left his clawed fist, followed consecutively by two more. Their paths arced slightly, attacking the hulking mass of sand from an ever so small angle. The first collided soundly, taking a chunk from the sand demon's right shoulder. The second swerved off course and blew a hole in the ground at Shukaku's feet, spraying dirt into the air. The third landed soundly in the beast's stomach, destroying a large part of it.

Shukaku howled as the two blasts assaulted him, disassembling portions of his body. He glared at the huge black monstrosity as he reaffirmed his control over the sand, reconstructing the body parts he'd lost with slight difficulty. Gaara had stirred just a bit when the attacks had collided, but it was enough to shake the raccoon's dominance over their shared form.

Another Fuuton Jutsu left Shukaku's mouth, aimed for Skeith. Naruto, who was in control of Skeith, cut the attack in twain, then swung his scythe. A wicked arc of crimson chakra sped towards his sandy enemy across the short distance. It crashed into the crazy demon, cleaving his right arm from his shoulder. Before Shukaku could even scream, the scythe itself sliced his left arm off as well, rendering him without arms.

Shukaku screeched, backpedaling in a desperate attempt to escape. His movements were sluggish, and he didn't move very far before he stopped, staring horrifically at the creature that had so easily subdued him. Skeith was _too_ much of a challenge; Skeith was one that Shukaku had no chance of overcoming.

The scythe disappeared and Skeith's right hand rose, a translucent, circular, neon green object forming around his wrist in a slight funnel shape, the top of it leaning towards his face. Three translucent red prongs trisected it, and the object began to spin slowly. Shukaku was frozen fearfully.

Lines of chakra shot forth, spearing the sand incarnate easily…

— o.0.O.O.0.o —

Using what little energy he had left, Sasuke caught Hinata as she fell from the slowly disintegrating paw of sand. She was fine, as far as he could tell, and she was only unconscious. That was good. He didn't want to lose a teammate, and Naruto would go ballistic if anything bad had happened to her.

Sasuke couldn't suppress the tired smirk that flitted across his lips. If the paw was dissolving, that meant that Gaara's power was dissipating, and that Naruto had won. So Konoha was safe from the demon of Sunagakure and Naruto was going to be okay. Worst case scenario, his cousin had a few broken bones.

Sasuke looked up towards the sky. He remembered feeling as if a cloud of gloom had settled on Konoha, but it seemed to have lifted, freeing Konohagakure's citizens from the horror it brought with it. The Village Hidden in the Leaves would once again flourish, and the Land of Fire would not be vanquished. Konoha was victorious.

"Uhh…" Hinata was waking, her face screwed up in a grimace and her eyes shut tight. Then, without warning, she bolted up, calling, "Naruto-kun!"

Sasuke put a steadying hand on her shoulder, uncharacteristically serious, "Stay, Hinata-san. Naruto-kun is fine, he's just defeated Gaara. I'll go check on him, all right?"

Hinata nodded, scooting back to lean against the tree. In a blur, Sasuke leapt off of the branch he was on and headed for where the red glow was beginning to recede.

— o.0.O.O.0.o —

Naruto floated down to the forest floor, the red glow surrounding his body slowly starting to recede. In a flash, the aura disappeared completely, leaving Naruto to stand straight on his feet. He'd won, but he was still puzzling about how.

"_What the hell was that?"_ he asked the demon in his head.

"**That_ was Skeith's special ability,"_** came the reply. **_"Just like Corbenik's ability is healing, Skeith's ability is to absorb the enemy's 'essence', thus providing you with a chakra boost and all possible information on his or her Jutsu, body type, strengths, etc. Of course, the information you absorb can quickly become outdated and obsolete, but it gives you an edge and weakens your opponent substantially."_**

"_So if I used this on someone like Orochimaru, I'd learn all his Jutsu?"_ Naruto wasn't as ecstatic about this new ability as he probably would have normally been. Stealing Jutsu with the Sharingan was one thing, but this new power didn't seem limited by bloodlines and specialties.

"**_Yes," _**Kyubi told him, shuffling in his cage at the back of Naruto's mind. **_"But you'd still have to _master_ them. And this _is_ still limited by bloodlines and specialties. But I wouldn't recommend using it that often; it leaves you open to a counter attack, without a doubt."_**

"_Good," _Naruto responded. _"I don't intend to use it that often anyway."_

Steadily, he put one foot in front of the other, walking towards the weakened ninja a few yards away from him. Gaara heaved a deep breath, trying to squirm away, a fearful gleam in his tired eyes, "S-stay away! My existence will not disappear!"

Naruto stopped next to the fallen redhead, squatting down, "You know, we're not so different, you and I. We both grew up alone, despised by others for something we couldn't control…"

He sighed, a bittersweet smile on his face, "But I got lucky. I found some people who were willing to accept me for who I am, and for them, I would do anything. They're my precious people."

"W-why?" Gaara asked, a desperate tone to his voice. "Why do so much for someone else?"

"Because they saved me," Naruto stated simply. "They saved me from following the same path you traveled; the path of hatred. And for that, I'm grateful."

Naruto grinned, chuckling lightly, "Plus, Hinata-chan is a terrific kisser."

"How are you so strong?" the sand ninja didn't seem to share in the humor.

"Because I fight," Naruto said seriously, "for my precious people."

There was a blur, and three people dropped into the clearing. Kankuro and Temari landed a few feet from Gaara, tensed and ready for battle. Sasuke was grasping the hilt of his sword, standing behind Naruto, whose hand also rested on his own Katana.

"Stop!" Gaara called weakly. "Th-that's enough! It's over!"

With a nod, Temari and Kankuro picked their little brother up, their eyes not leaving Sasuke and Naruto. In a blur, they disappeared into the trees, their mission failed. Gaara, though, left the battlefield with a different type of reward. He had learned the meaning of being strong, from one with an abundance of strength.

There was an explosion in the distance, the barrier around the stadium's premium seats collapsing to allow an escape route for Orochimaru and his minions.

"Oh shit!" Naruto swore loudly. "I forgot about the old man!"

— o.0.O.O.0.o —

The teenage members of Team Seven landed in the scattered crowd of shinobi atop the Hokage tower in the Exam arena, panting slightly. Naruto had run as fast as he could towards the old Sandaime, after helping Hinata, of course. He had realized he was probably too late, but the Kyubi kept reassuring him (the Kyubi _reassuring _him; go figure) that, should the old man have died, he could be resurrected. The nine tails had yet to tell him _how_, just that it could be done.

After Naruto had checked his girlfriend over for injuries, he'd given her a soldier pill from the small stash he'd brought for the 'just in case', so she was loaded with energy. He'd pecked her on the lips once, then took off back towards Konoha. He loved her, yes, but she knew that he was concerned for the Third.

Sasuke touched down gently next to his teammates, eyes scanning the gathering of Leaf ninja. He recognized a few of them: Morino Ibiki, Mitarashi Anko, Hatake Kakashi, Maito Gai, Shiranui Genma, and Yuuhi Kurenai. The others were unfamiliar to him, but their uniforms signified them as either Chuunin or Jounin. Sasuke quickly followed as Naruto pushed his way through the people gathered, heading towards the downed figure in the center.

"Move!" Naruto hissed angrily, pushing past the shinobi in his way. He knelt down next to the old man, holding in the sob that desperately wanted to break from his throat. Knowing that the aged Hokage was dead was completely different from seeing him dead.

"_How do I bring him back, Kyubi?"_ Naruto asked the fox anxiously, preparing to gather chakra for a Jutsu.

"**_Not you,"_** the demon said mystically, the underlying hint of malice no longer present.**_ "The girl. Only the Hyuga girl, utilizing Corbenik's power, is capable of resurrecting the old Kage that Orochimaru killed."_**

"_How?"_ Naruto was a little impatient; Sandaime's life was hanging in the balance. _"She doesn't know how to use those powers! Hell, _I _barely know much of Skeith's powers!"_

"**_Simple,"_ **the beast sounded as if he was explaining something to a three-year-old. **_"_I_ gave Corbenik its abilities, therefore, _I_ know how to convert its innate powers into Jutsu that she can use. All you have to do is be a medium and tell her the hand seals necessary."_**

Deciding that more arguing would be counter productive, Naruto listened with rapt attention as Kyubi told him the seals needed to use Corbenik's Jutsu. He repeated them to Hinata, and she went through each one slowly, careful not to miss one. She knew that, if Naruto believed that she could do it and he couldn't, it had to be powerful and out of his hands.

As Hinata finished the last seal, she felt green chakra envelop her hands, pulsing lightly. Slowly and carefully, she set her hands on the Hokage's chest, one on the sword wound and the other on the seal visible through his torn clothes. Steadily, the sword injury began to close, moving at a snail's pace.

"**_Hijutsu: Kiseki Saisei no Jutsu,"_** Kyubi commented quietly.

The Jutsu demanded more chakra from her and Hinata complied, feeling the extra chakra from the soldier pill slowly leaving her body. She ignored the feeling of tiredness that began to fill her, watching diligently as the green energy enveloped the Hokage. Finally, after what seemed like hours, the chakra flickered once, disappearing. Hinata collapsed in exhaustion.

Naruto caught his fiancée as she fell, unconscious from lack of Chakra. Sandaime gasped, gulping in a large amount of air to fill his lungs, his eyes snapping open. As his breathing calmed though, Sarutobi's eyes closed again, he too suffering from tiredness.

"He should be fine," Naruto said aloud, standing as he did so. "He's just tired right now."

The blonde let loose a yawn that threatened to snap his jaw, the events of the day catching up with him. Drowsiness fell upon him like a ten-ton brick, his eyes drooping dangerously. Then, with a final wobble, he fell backwards, allowing the darkness of unconsciousness to claim him…

— o.0.O.O.0.o —

Next time…

"_Hey, kid. You want to go with me to look for the new Hokage?"_

_Sarutobi may be out of the race, but a new Hokage must be found if the Konoha is to flourish again. Jiraiya refused the position when it was offered to him, so now, he goes to find his last teammate, intent on having her as the Godaime Hokage. The Fifth Hokage._

"_Only if Hinata-chan can go with us! And no peeping on her, you perverted old man!"_

_Who will step up to the plate and take over where Sarutobi could no longer preside? Naruto's too young, and Hiashi, though qualified, has a clan to run. He hasn't the time to fool around with the political games of Hokage. I don't know about the rest of you, but I wouldn't trust Danzou as far as I can throw Kyubi, and the Council shares those sentiments. So who?_

"_Come on, Itachi! Please? Just a leg or two! They never said we had to bring him in as a whole! Just that he had to be alive!" Kisame and Itachi will definitely make an appearance as well._

_The two members of Akatsuki aren't the only ones plotting against Naruto. The Konoha Council of Elders has plans to rid their country of the demon host that saved them. With Sarutobi unable to do much of anything, having retired as Hokage a _second_ time, it's up to the Godaime to make a difference, or else something bad might happen._

_Next time, in A Simple Change: The Sharingan Vol. 1: Rebirth "_Darkest Before Dawn".

_Now starts the Search for Tsunade! Hold onto your hats! The climax is on its way!_

**— o.0.O.O.0.o — **

**A/N This chapter was pretty hard to write. My collection of the manga only extends to Neji and Naruto's fight, though I know (having read enough Fanfiction and seen enough of the Manga in the stores) most of what happens after that. The only missing parts are the events _right_ before the battle at the Valley of the End and the latest chapters (326 and up).**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, Rurouni Kenshin, or (Dot) Hack (And the term "Hakudo" comes from Bleach, and so does the whole "swords with names to unlock their powers" thing, though the expansion on those two ideas came solely from me.)**

**Some of you are undoubtedly dissatisfied with Sasuke's fight against Gaara. I'm sorry if that's so, but _Sasuke_ isn't the focus here and I don't have a complete archive of the second most anticipated battle of the Chuunin Exams. Again, I apologize, but it just wasn't within my abilities (plus, I lacked the inspiration to do it).**

**I'm going to put an "Ending Theme" in the last chapter, so I'm going to make it easier on myself by starting the voting now. Here are your choices:**

**Final Fantasy 10: **Suteki da ne by Rikki (VI)

**Cowboy Bebop: **The Real Folk Blues (II), See You Space Cowboy (I), or Blue(I) by Yoko Kanno

**Dot Hack:** Tasogare no Umi, Yasashii Yoake (I), or Thousand Nights One Night (II) by See Saw

**Another one joins the race: Big O: **And Forever by Naoki Takao(I think)

**Ninpou: Kuchiyose no Gongen — Ninja Art: Avatar's Summoning — For people who have the ability, it summons a physical manifestation of one's inner self. This means that, for Jinchuuriki, it will usually bring out their demon. But, since Naruto's demon is so thoroughly sealed, Kyubi created an Avatar to be used in his stead. Skeith. Hinata is, currently, the only normal human capable of summoning an Avatar. Sasuke will display the ability in Volume 2: Reminisce.**

**Zansatsuka, the name of Naruto's sword, is supposed to mean something along the lines of "Massacre by Fire".**

**Hijutsu: Kiseki Saisei no Jutsu — Secret Art: Art of the Miracle Rebirth — The Jutsu that Hinata uses to bring back the dead. Only works if she uses it within two hours of the person's death. In chapter eight, I'll explain how it overcame the Death God, who supposedly ate Sandaime's soul.**

**Updates will be slow for all my stories, due primarily to the new school year.**

**Steadfast, my friends, and good luck.**

**James Daniel Fawkes**

**_James Daniel Fawkes_ (Signature best viewed in _Wendy Medium_ font style)**


	8. Darkest Before Dawn

**A Simple Change: The Sharingan Volume 1: Rebirth  
By: **James D. Fawkes

**Chapter Eight: Darkest Before Dawn  
— o.0.O.O.0.o — **

"What's wrong with him, Hiashi?" Jiraiya asked quietly. His sensei had yet to reawaken after being brought back to life. It had only been two days, but it was rare for any shinobi to stay asleep that long (unless they were gravely injured or too low on chakra). Physically, there was nothing wrong with the Sandaime, aside from the fact that he was unconscious.

Hiashi sighed, the veins around his eyes receding, "The chakra flow to his arms is at a minimum. It's just enough to allow him full mobility and usage of his hands, but it's not enough for him to form hand seals."

"So he'll never be able to be Hokage again?"

"Yes."

Jiraiya pinched the bridge of his nose, sighing exasperatedly. Things were just _perfect_. His unofficial apprentice was unconscious in the infirmary, Hiashi's daughter sleeping in the same bed with him. It had taken a lot of subtle threats from the Hyuga head to get the nurses to allow it, but he'd eventually gotten his way. Even more threats had been directed at Jiraiya, until the old pervert had promised not to use them as subjects for his next novel.

The next thing on Jiraiya's list of _'Shitty things that are happening too fast for me'_ was his sensei's debilitating state. Without the ability to form hand seals, Sarutobi couldn't be Hokage. That meant that someone else had to take his place. Originally, Jiraiya had been offered the position. He turned it down right away. He didn't want to be Hokage, never ever ever.

That meant that he had to go find Tsunade, the only other candidate for the job. He'd have left a while ago, but he couldn't trust the old counselors to _not_ try to harm Naruto, which meant that Jiraiya couldn't leave without Naruto, and Naruto had to leave of his own free will. All he could do was wait.

Jiraiya _really _hated waiting…

o.0.O.O.0.o —

No matter how long ago the event had taken place, Naruto could remember when he had discovered his new sword's name as if it had happened mere minutes ago. It was a day he'd never forget for the rest of his life, so amazing had the events been. It was amazing, yes, but he would take the details of what had occurred with him to the grave. Only Hinata would ever be privy to that information.

He briefly wondered if Sasuke had been as amazed and horrified when he'd discovered Shin'enga's name. But as he thought about it, Sasuke's learning his sword's name had to have been more frightening, since he'd never experienced the wonderful world of a mindscape. Naruto, having seen a mindscape before, wasn't so surprised that it existed, so much as he was with what it looked like.

When Naruto had been transported to the place where he would 'meet' his sword, he'd been amazed and horrified by the sight that had greeted him. Not even playing witness to the Kyubi's rampage against Konoha had warranted so much terror. But, strangely, Naruto felt as if he had…belonged in that mindscape.

There was a single path, barely four feet wide, which had stretched in front of him, the soil moist with a thick liquid. Piles of skeletons lay on either side of the path, marking the direction he would have to follow. Despite the darkness of the nighttime surrounding him, he could see clearly. And with good reason.

As he made his way up the path, his eyes settled on the monstrous walls of a feudal Japanese castle. These pristine white walls, which would normally be imposing all by themselves, were covered in fire, even down to the stone foundation. They seemed to burn on eternally, the wood never charring or crumbling as the flames tried to eat away at them. Not even the crystalline blue roof tiles gave way to the blazing inferno.

The gate was open, smashed inwards by some unstoppable force. The wooden slabs were nearly torn off their hinges, hanging by sheer will power alone, cracks and dents littering their once majestic surfaces. Someone or something had forced his or her or its way into the castle, doing whatever they felt was necessary to gain entrance. Naruto walked past the threshold hesitantly.

A smell wafted into Naruto's nose and his hand immediately rushed upwards, holding the offended part in between his right thumb and forefinger. The bitter stench of blood was so strong, his eyes were beginning to water. He was starting to question the wisdom of being in that place at that time.

Naruto wiped his eyes with his left hand, blinking back the reflexive tears. He gasped as he opened them again. Corpses were strewn throughout the castle grounds, fresh, if the warm blood pooling in the earth's potholes was any indication. They'd fought a losing battle, their weapons cracked and broken to tiny pieces. Some had looks of horror on their faces. Naruto agreed. What could have done this?

There was a slurping sound and Naruto's gaze shot towards the man in the center of it all. He was sitting comfortably on a tree stump, one arm rested on his knee and the other bringing a small bowl to his lips. The bittersweet scent of rice wine hit Naruto like a ton of bricks. This man was drinking Sake. He was drinking _sake_ in the middle of a _battlefield_ as if _nothing_ had happened.

"Ah!" the man let out a soft sigh of satisfaction, his right hand coming down, still holding to the sake bowl lightly. Naruto finally managed a good look at him, the flames of the walls providing adequate light.

He was a tall man, probably as tall as Kakashi, though he was much more sturdily built. He was still lean, but his muscles had more size than anyone Naruto had ever seen, and his tan was even darker than Naruto's. Clinging to the man's chest was a tattered and slightly shredded sapphire haori that reached to his waist, covered in dirt and grime. The sleeves were missing, obviously torn off. Sarashi traveled up to about his ribs, only slightly more clean than the haori.

A large red obi nearly twice the size of Himura's was wrapped around his hips, circling his lower abdomen not once, not twice, but _three_ times, and still there was enough left for the ends of it to reach about to his knees. Its color faintly reminded Naruto of the blood pooling at his feet.

The man's pants were split into two halves. The right half was the same shade of crimson as the obi, and the left half was a murky gold, its magnificence obscured by the dirt and blood that coated it. The pants, though slightly baggy, ended the same way Naruto's did. Brown bandages covered the bottom half of his shins, stopping around his ankles to give way to more tan skin. His shoes were nothing more than straw sandals.

His eyes were the same shade of crimson as the headband that fit snug above his eyebrows, the ties of it falling down the right side of his face (kind of like the reverse of Zabuza, Naruto noted). His pitch-black hair was all pulled back into a ponytail at the back of his head, much like Himura's. This man might have been able to put it in a topknot had his hair been longer. But he substituted a longer 'tie' for the topknot. The hair that was free from the confines of the tie (in other words, the hair that was held up and away from his body by the tie) was wild and messy.

"So," the man drawled, a smirk on his face, his eyes locking with Naruto's, "You're finally here. I was waiting."

"Who are you?" Naruto asked suspiciously.

"You know who I am," the man retorted, his posture lazy. His Japanese accent was stronger than most; every syllable was harsh and short. "I've been by your side ever since I was a simple sword called Masamune. I am your most faithful companion."

"Great," Naruto said. He shot the man a glare, "So I know _what_ you are. But I still do not know _who_."

The man sighed, running his fingers through his tightly bound hair, "Are you so ignorant? Why do you think Sasuke's sword's true power was only revealed when he'd called its name?"

"Hell if I know," Naruto muttered stubbornly.

"It's because his sword and yours have a soul," the man explained. "This soul is what is in possession of your and his swords' amazing powers. All you have to do to use those powers is to work together with the soul inhabiting your sword. Namely, me."

"So all I have to do," Naruto began incredulously, "is work together with you?"

"Before you can do that," the man warned, "you must learn my name."

"What is your name, then?" Naruto asked, cocking his head curiously. He wanted to leave as soon as possible. The scene before him was…creepy.

"You already know it," the man said, a smirk on his lips. "You must simply open your mind to what it is."

Nodding, Naruto dropped down into a meditative position, tuning out whatever information his senses brought him. The scent of blood stinging his sensitive nose. The fire raging wildly around him. The crackling of burning wood and flesh. The heady heat weighing heavily upon his shoulders. He needed inner calm if he was to solve this perplexing riddle. The man said that Naruto already knew his name, but Naruto could never recall seeing the man ever before in his life.

Calmly, Naruto let his emotional and mental barriers down one by one. A rush of information flooded him, things that he'd tuned out to or simply ignored earlier were suddenly in his face, and he knew things he'd not noticed before. But what he was looking for escaped his grasp.

Naruto dived, delving deeper into his own mind, searching for the one simple word that could power him up to a level beyond what Orochimaru's Kusanagi was capable of. All he had to do was find one simple word.

Naruto's eyes flew open, locking with the man's again.

"Your name…" he stated in a calm tone, having found a temporary inner peace through meditation. "…is Zansatsu."

Zansatsu grinned, winking, "Bingo!"

And then, just like that, the mindscape disappeared and Naruto was back in his room again.

— o.0.O.O.0.o —

"This is it!" one of the aged council members shouted. "The time to act is now! The seal is breaking and we have to take our chance to destroy the demon!"

"If we allow it to live, it will kill us for sure!" another said, shaking his fist for emphasis. "We must dispose of it while it is weak and has no way to defend itself!"

"It disabled Hokage-sama!" a third chimed in. "It's trying to weaken us by taking away our strongest shinobi!"

"Then let's take our chance!" the first continued. "Let's destroy it! We have to act immediately!"

"Calm down, now," a fourth chastised. "Let's think about this in a calm manner. How do we eliminate the brat without landing suspicion on us?"

"Jiraiya-sama is taking it with him on his mission to find Tsunade-sama. With Jiraiya-sama busy searching, the demon would be open to attack," the third threw his cards to the table, adding to the conspiratorial plot.

"But then who do we assign the assassination to? Foreign ninja?" the second asked. "Can we afford that?"

"No," the first shook his head. "We need to hire someone who can't be traced back to us."

Danzou smirked, rubbing his chin thoughtfully, "I think I have a good idea who we can use."

Somewhere in Konoha, Uchiha Itachi sneezed…

— o.0.O.O.0.o —

Naruto awoke to the scent of lavender filling his nostrils, the harsh sunlight streaming in from the window trying to pry his eyelids open. He tried to sit up, only to discover that he couldn't because a small, lithe form was draped over the right side of his torso. He looked down, his eyes widening as a blush spread over his cheeks.

Hinata's head was resting comfortably on his shoulder, her right arm slung over his stomach and her legs intertwined with his right leg. Thankfully for Naruto conscience and his state of consciousness, she was fully clothed and so was he. Naruto couldn't imagine what might have happened if she were in her underwear, or worse, _naked_. He'd have probably died of blood loss, and that's if Hiashi didn't get to him first.

"Hey, brat," Naruto's head shot up, locking onto the form sitting in a chair by the wall across from his hospital bed. Jiraiya was the one who had spoken, resplendent in his usual olive drab outfit.

"Ero-sennin," Naruto replied evenly, acknowledging the man's presence. "What do you want?"

Jiraiya sighed, "Sarutobi-sensei is incapable of being a Hokage again, and I really don't want the job. So, I'm going to go looking for my old teammate to see if she'll take it. I plan on taking you with me."

Naruto glanced at the still sleeping form that rested on his shoulder, then locked eyes with his unofficial teacher, "Only if Hinata-chan can come with us…" For good measure, he added, "And no peeking on her!"

"I thought you might say that," Jiraiya smirked, wagging an eyebrow, "so I got permission from Hiashi to bring her along with us. All you have to do is pack for a few weeks, and we can leave."

Naruto nodded his acceptance, agreeing to Jiraiya's little 'outing'. He knew that Jiraiya and Tsunade at their best would be able to take on Kabuto and Orochimaru, but Tsunade was going to drug the older man before she went to confront the snake Sennin by herself. That meant that Jiraiya wouldn't be at his best, and he would be incapable of winning. Jiraiya, at the very least, would be killed.

The toad sage stood, heading for the door. He stopped as he opened it, turning his head to look at Naruto again, an unseen grin stretching the length of his face, "Oh, and Naruto? I would suggest packing a few _raincoats_, because I don't think Hiashi would be very happy if his daughter wound up pregnant."

Blood rushed to Naruto's face, both in anger and in embarrassment.

Across all of Konoha, a yell could be heard, "**ERO-SENNIN!!**"

— o.0.O.O.0.o —

In the light of the rising sun, Naruto gazed forlornly at the big gate in front of him, a backpack strapped to his shoulders. His eyes flickered downward, focusing on the girl next to him. He smiled sadly, "Ready to go, Hinata-chan?"

"Hai, Naruto-kun," Hinata nodded, fingering the strap on her right shoulder. "I'm ready to leave whenever you are."

"Come on, you two lovebirds!" Jiraiya called, already on the road. "Let's get moving!"

Naruto and Hinata nodded, jogging to catch up with the toad Sennin. Naruto had told Hinata where he was going and with whom as soon as she woke up, and she had immediately agreed to go with him. She was anxious to finally spend some alone time with her fiancée, and maybe she could find the courage to tell him about their impending marriage.

Hinata saw Naruto throw one last sad glance at the village and smiled, heart warmed by his caring and sensitivity, "They'll be okay, Naruto-kun. They'll be here when we come back."

Naruto gave her a smile that almost made her knees weak, "Thanks, Hinata-chan. I needed that."

Hinata's smile widened and she grabbed his hand, interlacing her fingers with his as they fell into step with the tall man that was taking them to find the next Hokage.

Standing in the shadow of the gate, Sasuke couldn't help the grin that threatened to split his face. What he saw between Naruto and Hinata wasn't something that he saw everyday. He'd seen plenty of similar scenes happen between his parents back when he was younger, but he could see a distinct difference between Uchiha Fugaku and Mikoto's love and the love Naruto and Hinata displayed.

His parents loved one another…but Naruto and Hinata were soulmates. The two sides of the same coin.

— o.0.O.O.0.o —

Naruto grumbled angrily as he walked to the door, Hinata sitting at the table where they'd been having a nice, relaxing lunch. It'd been nearly five days since they had first left Konoha and about four since they'd arrived in this particular village. During the day, Naruto and Hinata would do their own training while Jiraiya either peeped at the hot springs or looked for information on Tsunade.

There was a second, more insistent knock as Naruto neared the door. He shouted, "Coming!"

He flung the door open, throwing a heated glare at the pair behind it, "What?! I'm busy, you know! I don't have time for some nosy bastards like you!"

Both men blinked owlishly, surprised at his outburst. Then, the taller, blue-skinned man turned his head, bending down as he asked in a shocked whisper, "Did he just…?"

"I think he did," his shorter partner answered, looking just as stunned.

The taller one grinned, "I think I'm beginning to like this kid!"

The color drained from Naruto's face as he recognized the two men in front of him, "Oh HELL no!"

"Hell YES!" the taller one said, fingering the hilt of the Zanbatou slung over his shoulder.

"Hold on, Kisame," the smaller one insisted. Naruto knew him to be Uchiha Itachi, "We don't want to cause a commotion."

Naruto hopped backwards, settling into a fighting stance, his Sharingan whirling, "I'm not going with you!"

"Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked, beginning to stand from her sitting position by the table.

"Stay back, Hinata-chan!" Naruto warned, tensed and ready, should either Kisame or Itachi decide to move. "These guys are S-rank Criminals!"

"He sure knows a lot," Kisame commented. "But he looks kind of scrawny. You sure he's the vessel for the Nine-tails, Itachi?"

"Yes," Itachi replied, seemingly unshaken by the Sharingan in Naruto's eyes, "I'm sure. He is indeed Aunt Yuki's child, and scion of the Yondaime."

"N-Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked, confused.

"I'll explain later, Hinata-chan!" Naruto told her. "Just go! Find Ero-sennin!"

Hinata nodded, heading for the window. Kisame appeared in her path, a bloodthirsty grin on his face, "I don't think so, brat."

There was a yellow flash, and Kisame went flying, colliding with the wall harshly. He groaned, finding it difficult to stand. He felt like he'd been his with one of Jiraiya's huge toads, "What the hell?"

"I believe Itachi described it best," Naruto said, standing where Kisame had just been, "when he said that I'm the scion of the Yondaime. That explains it, ne?"

"H-how?" Kisame asked, still trying to stand. That kick felt like it shattered a few ribs.

"Throughout the ages," Naruto said, backing up so that he was in front of Hinata and had a view of both intruders. He'd only scored that hit because Kisame hadn't expected it, "the vulgar masses have denigrated, even persecuted, that which they have failed to understand. You, thinking I was weak because of my young age, are no different."

"Come, Kisame," Itachi, who had remained silent for a little while, spoke. "We must leave."

"What?" Kisame wheezed, standing shakily. "But you can handle him!"

"True," Itachi said, seemingly gliding to stand next to his partner, "But even I cannot defeat both him and Jiraiya, who is headed this way as we speak."

His gaze found the blonde they had been looking for, "We will meet again, Uzumaki Naruto."

In a plume of smoke, the two of them vanished.

— o.0.O.O.0.o —

"This is Tanzaku-Gai?" Hinata asked, staring at the remains of a decimated castle. It looked like some kind of natural disaster had been the cause, but it couldn't have been. The Castle was all that had been affected, so it had to have been done by a person or animal…or a _summoned_ creature.

Naruto frowned, suppressing a growl, "I smell a snake. Orochimaru's been here."

Channeling some chakra to his nose, Naruto took in a big breath, then shot Jiraiya a questioning glance, "Is Tsunade a big drinker?"

"Drinker?" Hinata echoed softly.

"Oho yeah," Jiraiya nodded. "She drinks Sake almost religiously."

"Tsunade-sama is…an alcoholic?" Hinata asked, a frown pulling across her lips. Somehow, that didn't match up with the image of her that Hinata had molded.

"It seems so," Naruto said, already having known the answer. "But she was sober when she ran into Orochimaru. Even then, however, she'd still had some sake within the last forty-eight hours."

"That's…not what I expected," Hinata muttered disappointedly.

"The best things in life rarely are," Naruto commented, shooting her a smile. Hinata blushed, looking away.

"You can smell her, then?" Jiraiya asked, turning the conversation back towards its original topic before things got too mushy. "Can you track her?"

Naruto shrugged, "I can try."

He jabbed his thumb over his shoulder in the direction he knew a bar to be in, "The trail leads in that direction, and a second scent is with it. It's not Orochimaru, though."

"Jiraiya-sama?" Hinata asked. "Does Tsunade-sama have a traveling companion?"

"As far as I know? No," Jiraiya replied. "But she might have picked one up during her travels."

— o.0.O.O.0.o —

"Wow," Hinata remarked, looking around the pub. "This place has seen better days."

Naruto snorted, pointing to someone in the bar, "Seems we've found her."

"Tsunade-hime!" the old pervert called, waving enthusiastically.

The young-looking blonde woman stared at him, surprised, "Jiraiya? What are you doing here?"

The group of three sat down next to Tsunade and her apprentice, Shizune, ordering their own food (though Hinata was a bit hesitant; she'd never been to a public restaurant, or whatever it was).

For a while, the entire group was silent, not a word escaping any of them as they ate the food in front of them. Hinata, who sat next to Naruto, squirmed a bit under Tsunade's questioning gaze. The blonde woman was undoubtedly curious about why a Hyuga would be accompanying Jiraiya on whatever business he had.

"Today…" Tsunade broke the tense quiet. "I met with someone who brings back a lot of bad memories."

"Orochimaru?" Jiraiya asked, before Naruto could make his comment. "Did anything happen?"

Tsunade's wordless command to Shizune about keeping quiet went unnoticed by the Gama Sennin, "Nothing much…just a little greeting."

Naruto and Hinata threw her a suspicious glance; with their inactive doujutsu increasing their perception, they'd both seen the glare that had been tossed around.

"You're here, too," Tsunade pointed out. "Why? What's the reason for this unexpected reunion?"

Jiraiya fixed her with a serious stare, "Konoha's Elder Council has issued a request for you to become the Godaime Hokage."

Tsunade and Shizune's eyes widened, a surprised look on both their faces. Naruto and Hinata's expressions, though, didn't change. They just continued eating. The two of them had already known the reason for their trip. Jiraiya had explained it to Naruto and Naruto had told Hinata.

"The Third…" Jiraiya continued. "Sarutobi-sensei is…"

"I heard," Tsunade said, regaining her composure. A semi-sad look crossed her face, "Orochimaru told me…it was his doing."

"Oh?" Jiraiya smirked. Tsunade's right eyebrow twitched, thinking he was disrespecting the Sandaime. "Then you haven't heard the whole story. Orochimaru wasn't around to see Sensei brought back to life."

"What do you mean?" Tsunade questioned, disbelieving.

"It's quite simple, yet quite complicated," Jiraiya sounded like he was going into lecture mode. "After the Third died, Orochimaru left, so he didn't witness Hinata-san here," Jiraiya gestured at the Hyuga girl, "bring Sensei back from the dead using a Jutsu that Naruto taught her. And this one is on a whole other level from Hebi-teme's 'Kuchiyose: Edo Tensei'."

"That bastard is in for one hell of a surprise," Naruto grinned, his arms folded in front of his chest. "I'll make sure to tell him _all_ about it…right before I kill him."

Tsunade arched an eyebrow, "Who is this kid?"

Jiraiya smirked again, "He is Uzumaki Naruto, future Rokudaime of Konoha, if he has anything to say about it. So, what's your answer?"

There was a long pause, then, "No."

Naruto stood, slamming his hands on the table, "Damn it, you old hag, you're just gonna throw it away?! Where's your decency, your sense of compassion?"

"Naruto-kun," Hinata set a comforting hand on his, trying to dissolve some of the anger radiating from his eyes. She understood why he was upset, but fighting wasn't going to get them anywhere. "Calm down."

Tsunade chuckled, "Jiraiya, this brat is worse than your previous student…in terms of looks, speech, and intelligence."

"It's hard to compete with the Fourth…" Jiraiya started. "Especially when—"

"My father," Naruto hissed, interrupting his unofficial sensei, "was a better person than you'll ever be. He was a better _ninja_ than you'll ever be."

"But even the Fourth died quickly," Tsunade didn't seem to have heard Naruto. "He sacrificed himself for Konoha…but life is different from money. It can't be risked so easily. Whoever does so is a fool."

Whether or not Hinata noticed the growl erupting from Naruto's throat is up to debate, but her own pale eyes fixed in a furious glare on the forever young blonde that had just insulted her fiancée's father. It was all she could do to suppress her bloodline from activating.

Jiraiya frowned, "You've changed, Tsunade."

"Age changes people," she commented offhandedly. "But only a fool would be Hokage."

Plates and food jumped off the table as Naruto flew over it, ignorant of Hinata's halfhearted attempt to quell his anger. He was going to pummel her, no question. But Jiraiya grabbed him by the back of his shirt.

"Let me go!" Naruto growled, struggling, Sharingan whirling. "No one says that about my old man!"

"You do realize we're in a bar, don't you?" Jiraiya asked rhetorically.

"I don't care!" Naruto hissed vehemently. "I don't care is she's a woman or just some transvestite using a funky Genjutsu!" Tsunade's eyebrow twitched. "I'm gonna kick her ass!"

"You've got some guts," Tsunade said, standing level with Naruto. "Let's take this outside!"

— o.0.O.O.0.o —

Tsunade smirked, standing about ten yards from Naruto, "I've been one of the Sannin since before you were even born. I don't have to take this seriously. One finger should do."

"I wouldn't be so quick to judge, Tsunade-hime," Jiraiya warned her as Naruto seethed. "He shows even more promise than Arashi."

"If you won't take me seriously," Naruto said, his voice frigid as he yanked his sword from its sheath. "Then I'll just have to force you!"

Naruto quickly closed the gap between them, sending a horizontal slash at his opponent, as if intending to take her head off. Tsunade ducked, silently marveling at how fast he was. A flick from her sent him flying, his sword still tight in his grasp.

Doing a back flip in midair, Naruto planted his feet on the ground, skidding to a halt. A scowl on his face, he stuck his sword in the hard dirt, flashing through hand seals. He stopped on 'Tori', "Hakudo 43: Jumon no Gimu-teki!"

Tsunade's elbows bent forcefully, trapping her forearms and her hands behind her back, her wrists seemingly glued together. Her knees snapped together, leaving her ankles as the only part of her body that could move freely. Surprise hit her, then she started to struggle against her invisible bonds.

Hinata cheered happily, thinking the fight over. Jiraiya just smirked in an 'I told you so' way, amused at his teammate's situation. Shizune's jaw was on the ground, her mind refusing to process the fact that her teacher, one of the _Sannin_, had lost against a _Genin_.

Naruto swept through another three hand seals, releasing his weights. He knew that Tsunade would not be kept down for long. Hakudo such as that only worked on someone who was on or below his own level. Since he was nearing her level (he was already mid to high Jounin), it would stall her for a few moments, but nothing more than that.

As Naruto pulled his sword from the earth, sheathing it, Tsunade broke the spell binding her limbs together, freeing herself. She glared at Naruto, "Why the hell are you so excited about being Hokage anyway?"

"Because I'm different than you," Naruto said, standing in a ready position. "I want to succeed the Hokage name, not just to achieve the respect I deserve, but so I can protect my precious people and the citizens of Konoha…just like the old man protected me.

"But more than that," Naruto grinned, "it's my dream to be Hokage."

Taking advantage of Tsunade's shock, a ball of energy began to form in Naruto's hand, chakra swirling quickly inside of it. The ball took on a white-ish hue, several of the spiraling chakra strands morphing into wind.

In a flash, Naruto took off, rushing towards the stunned woman with all the speed he possessed. As he came with in five feet, Tsunade tapped the ground, splitting it in two. It seemed, for all intents and purposes, that Tsunade had won with that move.

Desperate, Naruto's left-hand shot done and he did a handstand, then he flipped over to the left, landing squarely on his feet. No sooner had he touched solid ground again than did he take off again. Tsunade, too surprised to try something else and with Naruto too close to counter, threw as much chakra into her torso as she could in an effort to buffer the Rasengan.

The whirling ball stopped barely four inches from her body, held still by Naruto. She was about to ask him why he stopped when she felt it; the front wall of the Jutsu, the wall closest to her, was collapsing.

Spiraling winds and chakra exploded outwards, catching her and picking her off her feet. Soon, the entire ball had dissolved into a one-way gale, the winds widening as they continued to move with a great amount of momentum. Small cuts dug themselves into Tsunade's exposed skin; Naruto hadn't put enough chakra into it to seriously harm her.

"Sugoi!" Hinata whispered, awestruck. Shizune nodded in agreement.

Jiraiya chuckled, "Barely known it for three weeks and he's already added his own 'spin' to it."

Jiraiya laughed loudly at his own pun, ignoring Tsunade's glare as she stood, blaming him for the 'injuries' she had sustained. The way he saw it, it was her own fault for underestimating his newest pupil. She had it coming.

Tsunade cocked an eyebrow as she walked back towards Naruto at a leisurely pace, "Jiraiya teach you that one brat?"

Naruto snorted, "Nope. That was my Rasen Reppuu. Came up with it all on my own. It only took two days." It was a half-truth. The design had only taken a couple days, and once he had figured out how to add his wind element, it was only two days more before he had it mastered. But the whole process, including learning to add the element, had taken a little less than six years.

"Oh really?" Tsunade smirked. "All right, then. I'll give you one week. If you can invent and master another Jutsu in that time, I'll admit you have what it takes to be Hokage. And…" she fingered the necklace around her neck, "I'll even give you this."

"Fine," Naruto grinned. He had the perfect technique in mind.

"But if you can't," Tsunade continued. "I get all your money and you have to quit as a Shinobi."

Naruto's grin never faltered, "Fine."

"Naruto-kun," Hinata whispered. She was worried. What if he did lose this bet? He'd never be able to complete his dream.

"Come on, Hinata-chan," Naruto motioned for her to follow him. "You're gonna want to watch this."

— o.0.O.O.0.o —

Naruto stood in the center of a wide, smoking, shallow crater. It had only taken three days for him to design the Jutsu and begin work on its creation. Now, on the sixth night, he had finally mastered his newly made Jutsu. And he loved the feel he got from using it.

Hinata walked to him, a smile on her face and a cup of iced tea in her hand, "Good work, Naruto-kun."

Shizune, who was peeking on the area from behind a rock, nearly lost control of her carefully hidden chakra. The field that had once been full of grass was riddled with several craters, nearly five dozen in all. Nearly half of them were still smoking, if only a little bit.

Naruto glanced up at the sky, then smiled, "Come on, Hinata-chan. What do you say to a trip to a ramen bar? My treat."

"Sure, Naruto-kun," Hinata smiled back, her eyes turning into upside down "u"'s, just like Kakashi's. "I'd love to."

As Naruto and Hinata left the field, Shizune came out to inspect the true extent of the damage.

Besides the craters, several other parts of it were left barren, the grass charred to a crisp. Several trees had burnt down, leaving charcoal in their place. Dirt was thrown everywhere, clumps of it that still contained grass having fallen haphazardly.

To be blunt, it looked like a warzone instead of a training area.

Shizune couldn't help but marvel in awed horror. Whatever could do this to what was once such a beautiful place was definitely strong, and Shizune had no doubt that Naruto was the one to wield such a power.

She could only hope her mentor, Tsunade, had what it took to eat her own words.

— o.0.O.O.0.o —

Tsunade stood against Kabuto, Orochimaru's assistant, and Orochimaru himself. The fight had only begun a little while ago, but a tie seemed imminent. Orochimaru, without use of his arms, was almost useless, but with Kabuto helping him, they made a powerful team.

Shizune, a drugged and sluggish Jiraiya, Naruto, and Hinata all arrived on the scene, skidding to a halt a score of yards away from the battle. Naruto narrowed his eyes as he caught sight of the silver-haired boy standing next to the snake Sennin. Tsunade was frozen, covered in blood not her own.

"Kabuto," Naruto growled.

"Kabuto-san?" Hinata asked, a surprised look on her face. "But…why?"

"Ah, Jiraiya-sama," Kabuto adjusted his glasses. "So you brought Naruto-kun and the weak Hyuga girl, eh?"

"Hinata-chan," Naruto held out his sword, "Take this off my hands for me, please? I'm gonna have to take this guy seriously. Stay back, he's Kakashi-sensei's level."

"Naruto-kun, are you sure?" She asked as she took hold of his katana. "If he is Kakashi-sensei's level…"

"Don't worry, Hinata-chan," Naruto turned to look her in the eyes. The Sharingan appeared in his before it fell behind an elaborate Genjutsu, "Because I too am Kakashi-sensei's level."

"How cute, Naruto-kun," Kabuto teased as Naruto walked forward. "You actually think you're on level with me?"

"Without the Kyubi," Naruto said, stretching a little bit, "Yeah, I'm at least level with you. But with the Kyubi," a smirk spread across the blonde's lips as he swept through hand seals, releasing his weights, "I'm level with Itachi."

In a flash of yellow, Naruto disappeared. Kabuto's eyes widened, his glasses threatening to slip off his nose. A heavy kick landed in his side, sending him plowing into a boulder nearly fifty yards away. His glasses broke. Naruto was standing right where Kabuto had been not a second ago, a self-satisfied smirk on his lips, "And with Skeith, I'm in a league of my own!"

Kabuto rocketed out of the giant rock he was in and dashed towards Naruto. There was a flash of yellow, then, suddenly, Naruto was a mere few inches in front of Kabuto, fist cocked back. Kabuto barely dodged out of the way, Naruto's punch grazing his stomach.

With a few backward hops, Kabuto put distance between himself and Naruto, clutching the side of his stomach that had had the misfortune of meeting Naruto's fist. Naruto was using the Hiraishin, of the he was sure, but he couldn't pinpoint the focus Naruto was using. There were no Kunai strewn about the ground, and nothing had been carved into the soil…unless.

Kabuto quickly felt around his body, looking for anything that didn't belong there. There! On the back of his sash, he found it. A small strip of paper barely big enough to fit in his palm, a Jutsu-Shiki painted on it.

Kabuto chuckled, crumpling the paper to bits and letting his chakra ignite it, "Very clever, Naruto-kun. Sticking the seal for Hiraishin on my body so that you could attack me continuously. Very clever indeed."

Naruto grinned, "It gets better. Boom."

The paper burning at Kabuto's feet suddenly exploded, sending dust and rock all over the place and knocking Kabuto back quite a distance. He landed again on the ground, his right arm sore and the bottom half of his legs feeling as if they were on fire. He strained to maintain his smirk, "Very clever, Naruto-kun."

Using his body to hide his weapons, Kabuto wrapped his own exploding tag around a few of his kunai. He began to stand, hunched over, and that's when he struck. He threw them as hard as he could with his good arm, aiming to destroy his target completely, "But not clever enough!"

As the dangerous kunai neared him, Naruto spun on his heel, leaking chakra from every pore of his body. Concentrating as hard as he could, he started to rotate, forcing the chakra to take on a definite element. A dome of fire and chakra surrounded him as he spun, "Katon: Katsujikaze!"

Several explosions rocked the earth as the Kunai came into contact with the recently designed barrier. Not one of them did any damage to the person inside, all of the explosions' fire mixing with that of the dome. Nothing penetrated it. Naruto's new Jutsu was a success.

Naruto slowed to a stop, a ten-foot crater surrounding him. He grinned, "That was my newest Jutsu! Katsujikaze, the fire whirlwind!"

Kabuto was already closing the distance between himself and the blonde powerhouse, kunai in hand. He stabbed towards Naruto's skull. Naruto ducked beneath the small knife, sweeping Kabuto's legs out from under him. As the silver-haired boy hit the ground, Naruto's heel collided with his stomach.

Naruto pushed up with his left foot, jumping back a ways while he waited for Kabuto to recover. He was a shinobi, yes, but Naruto was nothing if not honorable. He wouldn't attack anyone while they were down (well, maybe there are a few exceptions).

Kabuto pushed himself up again, glaring as he activated his chakra scalpels. He charged again, intent on severing several of Naruto ligaments and blood vessels. He'd underestimated the boy, but not anymore. He was getting serious now.

Naruto hopped backwards, dodging away from Kabuto's most familiar attack. He knew better, this time. He knew that Kabuto's chakra scalpels were just as dangerous as Neji's Hakke Rokujuu Yon Shou. He knew to avoid them at any cost.

A particularly vicious and desperate strike severed the ligament keeping Naruto's left arm moving. Hissing painfully, Naruto retaliated with an open palm strike to Kabuto's chest, pushing as much chakra into the attack as he could. He could almost _feel_ Kabuto's right lung rupture, and the excess chakra blasted the silver-haired boy over towards Orochimaru, interrupting the Snake Sennin's stalemate with his two previous teammates (Tsunade appeared to have gotten over her Hemophobia).

The entire battle halted as Orochimaru gazed down at his right hand man, shocked and angry that Kabuto had lost. He could tell, just from looking, that his most important pawn was probably near death. His maddened gaze fell onto Naruto, the one responsible, "You brat! You took what was most important to _me_, so _I'll_ take what's most important to _you_!"

Orochimaru channeled chakra to his legs, dashing off towards the surprised and defenseless Hinata. The Hebi-sennin opened his mouth, a snakehead replacing his tongue and opening its mouth, revealing Kusanagi, the poisonous sword that had killed Sandaime, "Die!"

Blood splattered to the ground.

Orochimaru's eyes widened as he discovered what exactly he had stabbed. Naruto stood in front of him, the Kusanagi piercing right through his left shoulder, blood flowing in rivulets down his arm. All was still as everyone turned their attention to the blonde boy who had thwarted Orochimaru at ever pass. Everyone sucked in a breath as killing intent the likes of which they'd never felt arose.

"**You bastard**," Naruto growled, reaching up with his right hand and yanking the sword from his body. "**For threatening Hinata-chan, _you die_!**"

Orochimaru flew backwards as Naruto's youki enhanced fist collided with is chin. Immediately, Naruto was upon him again, pummeling him with all his strength. Orochimaru, his arms disabled, was incapable of fighting back. He tried, but couldn't succeed. He'd heard it, but he'd thought it a bluff. It seemed that Naruto really was level with Itachi when he used the demon's power.

— o.0.O.O.0.o —

_Kaze ga yoseta kotoba ni  
Oyoida kokoro_

Tsunade looked down at the blonde boy resting in Hinata's arms as the slept in the hotel room Jiraiya had rented for them. He'd not only won his bet with her, he'd done something no _Genin_ should be capable of. He'd fought off Orochimaru and come back with only a few scrapes.

_Kumo ga hakobu ashita ni  
Hazunda koe_

Of course, the Snake Sennin had still escaped, carrying Kabuto along with him.

_Tsuki ga yureru kagami ni  
Furueta kokoro_

_Hoshi ga nagare koboreta  
Yawarakai namida_

Tsunade looked up as Jiraiya sat down next to her. She smiled whimsically, "He'd have dragged me back to Konoha if I hadn't agreed, wouldn't he?"

_Suteki da ne_

Jiraiya smiled back, "Probably."

_Futari te wo tori Aruketa nara  
Ikitai yo_

— o.0.O.O.0.o —

_KIMI no machi ie ude no naka  
Sono mune_

Credits…

Character Design:  
James D. Fawkes Masashi Kishimoto  
Nobuhiro Watsuki GAINAX  
_Karada azuke  
Yoi ni magire  
_Costume Design:  
James D. Fawkes Masashi Kishimoto  
Nobuhiro Watsuki Namco Bandai  
_Yumemiru_  
Weapon Design:  
James D. Fawkes Namco Bandai  
Nobuhiro Watsuki Tite Kubo  
Masashi Kishimoto  
_Kaze wa tomari kotoba wa  
Yasashii maboroshi_  
Kenjutsu Styles:  
Nobuhiro Watsuki Masashi Kishimoto

Backgrounds/Settings:  
Masashi Kishimoto James D. Fawkes  
Namco Bandai  
_Kumo wa yabure ashita wa  
Tooku no koe_  
Ending Theme "Suteki da ne":  
Rikki  
_Tsuki ga nijimu kagami wo  
Nagareta kokoro  
_Jutsu Design:  
Masashi Kishimoto James D. Fawkes  
Tite Kubo  
_Hoshi ga yurete koboreta  
Kakusenai namida  
_Cast (Voice Actors):  
Uzumaki Naruto Maile Flanagan  
Hyuga Hinata Stephanie Sheh  
Uchiha Sasuke Yuri Lowenthal  
Kyubi no Yoko Paul St. Peter  
Hyuga Hiashi John DeMita  
Hyuga Hanabi Stephanie Sheh  
Hyuga Neji Steve Staley  
Hatake Kakashi Dave Wittenburg  
Sabaku no Gaara Liam O'Brien  
Rock Lee Brian Donovan  
Haruno Sakura Kate Higgins  
Nara Shikamaru Tom Gibis  
Yamanaka Ino Colleen O'Shaughnessey  
Inuzuka Kiba Kyle Hebert  
Sarutobi "Sandaime" Steve Kramer  
Jiraiya David Lodge  
Tsunade Tiffany Vollmer  
Orochimaru Steven Jay Bloom  
And various others…  
_Suteki da ne_  
Plot:  
James D. Fawkes Masashi Kishimoto

Edited and Approved by:  
Kyra-chan  
_Futari te wo tori Aruketa nara  
Ikitai yo_  
Based on the popular Manga by Masashi Kishimoto  
_KIMI no machi ie ude no naka  
Sono kao_  
Special Thanks to:  
Kyra-chan Ovan the Rebirth  
ShadowBack AliKat89  
Endermon Honebar  
Silver Warrior Zeromaru CM  
Infinite Freedom Kage Husha  
Dragon Man 180 Black Saint  
Static44 VFSNAKE  
FlameKaiser Altrict  
_Sotto furete  
Asa ni tokeru_  
This story dedicated to David J. Nelson (Age: 14 or 15), a friend of mine who died tragically last year.  
_Yumemiru…_  
To be continued…

**— o.0.O.O.0.o — **

**A/N Well, there you have it. The end of Volume 1. I hope the rest of you are as excited as I am about Volume 2: Reminisce. I expect a lot of reviews for this chapter, so please don't disappoint me!**

**Thanks for sticking around!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, Rurouni Kenshin, or (Dot) Hack (And the term "Hakudo" comes from Bleach, and so does the whole "swords with names to unlock their powers" thing, though the expansion on those two ideas came solely from me.)**

**Rasen Reppuu — Spiral Gale — Naruto's own original Jutsu, Rank S, based off of the original Rasengan. He first used it against Kiba in the Chuunin exams. He molds the Rasengan, adds wind element (which took him six years to figure out), then forces one side of it to collapse, letting the spiraling wind and chakra rush out. Once the direction has been chosen, he lets the rest of it fall apart, creating and an 'explosion' of wind.**

**Katon: Katsujikaze — Fire Whirlwind — Naruto's rendition of the 'Kaiten'. It's based off of the Kaiten in that you have to spin, throwing chakra from your whole body. But, at the same time, you have to give the chakra an element, making this defense more compact and destructive.**

**Ninpou: Kuchiyose no Gongen — Ninja Art: Avatar's Summoning — For people who have the ability, it summons a physical manifestation of one's inner self. This means that, for Jinchuuriki, it will usually bring out their demon. But, since Naruto's demon is so thoroughly sealed, Kyubi created an Avatar to be used in his stead. Skeith. Hinata is, currently, the only normal human capable of summoning an Avatar. Sasuke and Hinata will display the ability in Volume 2: Reminisce.**

**Zansatsu— to make things simpler, Naruto's sword has been renamed (again) Zansatsu. Zansatsu means, if you haven't already figured it out by reading about mindscape, 'massacre'.**

**Hijutsu: Kiseki Saisei no Jutsu — Secret Art: Art of the Miracle Rebirth — The Jutsu that Hinata uses to bring back the dead. Only works if she uses it within two hours of the person's death. Because Orochimaru's whole soul had not been sealed, retrieving the Sandaime's soul (All except for his arms, which were only a little better off than Orochimaru's) wasn't too difficult. However, had the Sandaime sealed all of Orochimaru, his soul would have been irretrievable. This makes it impossible to resurrect the Yondaime.**

**While I brainstorm for Volume 2, I'm going to try to do a quick Evangelion fic. Does anyone know a site where I could read the Neon Genesis Evangelion manga online?**

**Updates will be slow for all my stories, due primarily to the school year.**

**Steadfast, my friends, and good luck.**

**James Daniel Fawkes**

**_James Daniel Fawkes_ (Signature best viewed in _Wendy Medium_ font style)**

We have come to terms…


End file.
